Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the prime constituents of the opposition United Democratic Front, differed on Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's abrupt demand for the resignation of the Vice Chancellors (VCs) of leading universities in the State.
Opposition leader and Congress legislator V D Satheesan welcomed the Governor’s move to call for the resignation of VCs, but the IUML said Khan has crossed the limits.
Kerala Governor, who had supported the Pinarayi Government’s illegal appointments earlier, is now ready to correct himself, said Satheesan.
With this drastic move, the Governor has challenged the State Government's actions in undermining the norms and procedures of the University Grants Commission, he added.
The Governor likely took this decision in response to the Supreme Court verdict annulling the appointment of the Vice Chancellor at the Technological University, Satheesan stated.
The State has violated the norm that those who are connected to the University must not be part of the Search Committee for VC appointments. There have also been incidents of just one person being recommended to the VC post, against the norms, said Satheeshan.
On Friday the Supreme Court quashed the appointment of Dr M S Rajasree, the vice-chancellor of A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University, citing violation of UGC regulations. On Sunday, in an unprecedented move, the Governor asked the VC of nine universities in Kerala to tender their resignations in less than 24 hours.
IUML's response
The Supreme Court verdict was regarding the appointment of the VC at the APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University. The Governor’s move demanding resignation from others based on this verdict has political intentions. Meanwhile, the Government should seriously consider the situations that led to the Supreme Court verdict, said IUML leader PMA Salam.
BJP to back Khan
The BJP would resist the Left’s attempts to threaten the Governor, said BJP State president K Surendran referring to the LDF call to protest on the streets against the Governor.
