'Acting as tool of RSS, Guv Khan has no such authority': Kerala CM on resignation order of 9 VCs
Referring to a recent Supreme Court order quashing the appointment of the vice chancellor (VC) of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University for being contrary to UGC regulations, Khan had sought resignations of VCs of nine varsities
FollowA political fight has resulted from Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's decision to demand the resignation of the vice chancellors (VCs) of nine state institutions. CM Pinarayi Vijayan said the Governor had "no such jurisdiction" on Monday, contradicting the governing CPI (M), which called the action a "attempt to appoint RSS members" to the top positions at universities.Â
Pinarayi Vijayan asserted that "the Governor, as Chancellor of Universities, has no right to ask resignation of VCs." Khan had asked the vice chancellors of nine universities in the state to quit by Monday, citing a recent Supreme Court decision that invalidated the vice chancellor's appointment at APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University because it violated UGC rules.
The UDF opposition, which is led by Congress, hailed the move, nonetheless.
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While CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said the Governor's latest decision as Chancellor of universities in the state was "unheard of" and was one among many other similar decisions, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan welcomed it as "belated".
On the other hand, Satheesan said that the Governor has now conceded what the opposition has long argued: that the rules of the University Grants Commission were broken while selecting vice chancellors for the state's institutions. He said that such unlawful appointments were occurring when the governor and the state administration were cooperating in a Facebook post.
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He said, "We applaud the fact that the Governor is finally prepared to make good on his error, even though it's late." The Governor's "unilateral" action, according to Kerala's higher education minister R Bindu, was a "deliberate and purposeful effort" to cause issues in the southern state's higher education system.
