THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The main Opposition UDF rallied behind Governor Arif Mohammed Khan over his letter to the chief minister suggesting that he will step down from the role of Chancellor of state universities by amending the rules and that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan can take over instead.
Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that the post of the Chancellor will suit the CPM state secretary better. Several Congress leaders, including the UDF convener, also endorsed the stand of the Governor. Satheesan claimed that this might be the first instance in the country where the Governor has shot off a letter to the chief minister of his state.
“The Governor was fed up with the appointments in universities and their functioning. The quality of higher education in the state has gone down. Political interference is happening in academics which has affected the entire higher education sector. Backdoor appointments are galore and universities have been turned into party cells,” said Satheesan in Dubai. He also urged the chief minister to end his silence on the issue. The UDF believes that it stands vindicated as the Opposition had been alleging nepotism in university appointments for long. State Congress president K Sudhakaran told reporters in New Delhi that appointments in various universities were reserved for party members.
“It is not one’s ability, but political affiliation which is considered for appointments. Universities in the state which should have zoomed to the number one spot in the higher education sector have become a den of fourth and fifth-grade Vice-Chancellors,” said Sudhakaran.
Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy also urged the chief minister to clarify his stand on the Governor’s letter. “The chief minister is liable to disclose his stand on why the search committee to zero in on the vice-chancellor of Kannur University was disbanded and the government decided to reappoint the previous incumbent,” he said.
Former Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, who had been relentlessly pursuing instances of political intervention in varsity appointments, demanded the ouster of Higher Education Minister R Bindu and the resignation of Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran. UDF convener M M Hassan told reporters at Indira Bhavan that the Governor’s remark is the ‘obit report’ on the LDF Government. Veteran Congress leader V M Sudheeran said that the Governor’s open statement indicated the lawlessness in the state.
On Friday, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had shot off a letter to Pinarayi disclosing his strong reservations in continuing as Chancellor due to the alleged political intervention in universities which has been seeing a plethora of party appointments.