THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Opposition UDF has said it was not averse to the removal of the governor as chancellor of state universities but was against the ‘alternative system’ proposed by the government in varsities. Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan spelt out the UDF’s stance in the assembly on Wednesday while registering the Congress-led front’s objections to two Bills seeking to amend university laws to facilitate the ouster of the governor from the helm of 14 state universities.
UDF’s major constituents -- the Congress and the Muslim League -- were widely perceived to have differences of opinion on the governor issue. While the Congress was not in favour of removing the governor from the post of the chancellor, the Muslim League had supported it. The UDF’s common stance was evolved reportedly in the wake of the Muslim League’s strident posture against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
“We are not against the removal of governor as chancellor. We have done so in states where we are in power. The stance of the Congress national leadership and the Opposition in the state on the issue is the same,” Satheesan said. The Leader of the Opposition underscored the UDF’s stance when Law Minister P Rajeeve cited media reports to highlight the differences of opinion between Congress and the Muslim League on the governor issue.
The Leader of the Opposition said the UDF was opposed to the ‘alternative system’ proposed in the bill after removal of the governor as the chancellor. “There is no clarity on the bill on the qualifications of the chancellor. This will pave way for even a local committee secretary of the CPM to become a chancellor,” Satheesan remarked. He alleged that the LDF, which accuses the governor of implementing Sangh Parivar agenda, would go ahead and implement the Marxist agenda in universities using the Bill.
Satheesan also said the Bill will not stand legal scrutiny as it was against Supreme Court orders and UGC regulations. Besides Satheesan, Congress MLAs Ramesh Chennithala, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, P C Vishnunadh, Mathew Kuzhalnadan and T Siddique too voiced their opposition to the Bill. The Opposition MLAs contented that the Bill would not stand legal scrutiny and highlighted issues such as absence of a financial memorandum along with the bill, protocol issues when Pro-Chancellor (Minister) becomes subordinate to the Chancellor, lack of consultation with the Centre before enacting a law on a subject in the concurrent list and ambiguous eligibility criteria for the chancellors.
In his response, the law minister said he was glad to see that the Congress still subscribes to the view of the previous Oommen Chandy government that had favoured divesting the governor of the chancellor’s role. Upholding the right of the state to enact legislation in university matters, Rajeeve reminded that the Supreme Court issued divergent orders regarding the supremacy of the UGC regulations. Overruling the Opposition’s objections, Speaker A N Shamseer referred The University Laws (Amendment) Bills 2 & 3 to the subject committee.
ASSENT TO BILLS AFTER EXAMINING CONTENT: GOVERNOR
ThiruvananthaPuram: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has said a decision on whether to give assent to the University Laws (Amendment) Bills will be taken after examining their content. “They (assembly) are entitled to their opinion. I can comment on it only when the text (of the Bill) reaches me,” Khan told reporters in New Delhi.
However, Khan reminded that education is a subject in the concurrent list. “Before enacting any law on a subject in the concurrent list, consultation with the Central government is absolutely necessary. If they have fulfilled all the requirements, I will definitely consider it,” he added. Khan also welcomed appointment of danseuse, actor and activist Mallika Sarabhai as the chancellor of Kalamandalam Deemed to be University and hoped she would be allowed to function freely.