THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Signalling a further thaw in relations between Raj Bhavan and the state government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan have opened a channel of communication between them.
The latest point of contention is the University Laws (Amendment) Bill, which aims to replace the governor as chancellor of universities in the state.
For months, the legislation has been languishing in Raj Bhavan, with the governor neither giving his assent to it nor returning it to the government. This created a stalemate between the two. But the power centres first cut through the chill when Khan addressed the assembly’s budget session. Now, both parties have started communicating each other’s position on the bill. Higher Education Minister R Bindu on Friday confirmed the reports.
The minister said the CM has called a meeting of vice-chancellors on June 5 to discuss implementing the four-year-degree in universities. However, she refuted allegations that the higher education council is pressuring universities to implement the programme.