UDF power tussle over education posts intensifies; IUML, Congress spar over appointments

Kozhikode: A series of contentious appointments to key positions in the state's university and education administration has exposed growing differences between the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), with competing claims by the two UDF partners threatening to complicate the functioning of institutions.

Even as the appointment of an IUML nominee as pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Calicut has triggered a political and administrative controversy, the General Education Department's decision to extend the deputation of an official appointed during the previous LDF government's tenure has opened another front, drawing strong protests from both Congress and IUML-affiliated college teachers' organisations.

The latest flashpoint is the extension of the deputation of Dr Manikyaraj, a faculty member at the Government College, Munnar, as Joint Director of Higher Secondary Examinations. The General Education Department has extended his tenure by another year, until October 16, 2027, despite the two coalition partners having reportedly recommended their own candidates for the post.

The office of the General Education Minister, however, maintains that replacing Manikyaraj at this stage could disrupt preparations for the Plus One and Plus Two examinations scheduled for March, as he is currently overseeing the arrangements.

A senior woman leader of the Congress-affiliated Kerala University Teachers Organisation (KUTO) has strongly opposed the extension, alleging that Manikyaraj had consistently taken positions against Congress and IUML-affiliated organisations during his tenure as a syndicate member nominated by Left-affiliated organisations.

"It is very unfortunate that the minister has not been convinced about his past activities, which created extreme difficulties for UDF workers. We will never agree to his continuation. We also have doubts about whether he is academically qualified for such a position. The Congress and the Muslim League have several qualified persons to recommend for the post," she told Onmanorama.

The KUCTO leadership is planning to meet Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Tuesday to raise the issue. The teachers' organisations are also expected to take up the matter with their respective party leaderships.

The latest disagreement comes against the backdrop of the controversy over the appointment of Dr P Rasheed Ahmed as pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Calicut, which exposed differences within the IUML and between the two UDF partners over the distribution of influential university positions.

The appointment of Rasheed Ahmed, a professor at KTM College, Karuvarakundu, had triggered objections from the Higher Education Department, which sought an explanation from Vice-Chancellor P Ravindran over alleged procedural violations, particularly the appointment of a teacher from an aided college without obtaining prior government approval for his deputation.

In a communication issued by Under Secretary S C Shibu, the department questioned how Ahmed was relieved from his parent institution and permitted to assume the pro-VC's office without prior government sanction. The university was also asked to explain the authority under which the relieving and joining orders were issued.

Ravindran, however, denied that the appointment violated rules.

The appointment has also triggered a tussle between the Congress and the IUML over the registrar's post. With the IUML securing the pro-VC's position, the Congress has staked its claim to the registrar's office, currently held by Dr Sebastian, a Congress nominee. The IUML, however, has also been keen to secure the post for its preferred candidate, complicating the power-sharing negotiations.

The disagreement also exposed differences within the IUML itself. While the party's college teachers' organisation recommended Rasheed Ahmed for the pro-VC's post, state general secretary P M A Salam reportedly had a different candidate in mind. The issue eventually reached state president Panakkad Sadiqali Shihab Thangal, who intervened and decided to stick with Ahmed's appointment. This is expected to put an end to the competing claims within the party over the pro-VC's position.

The current arrangement at the university differs from the convention followed during earlier UDF governments, when the IUML generally secured the vice-chancellor and registrar positions, while the pro-VC's post went to the Congress. With the latest appointments upsetting that understanding, both parties have been trying to secure their share of influential positions.

The dispute has also provided an opportunity for Left-affiliated syndicate members to intensify their campaign against the university leadership. They have demanded the resignation of both Ravindran and Ahmed, alleging that the pro-VC's appointment was pushed through as an emergency agenda item using the support of the majority, despite objections from Left representatives.

The controversies point to the difficulties the UDF government faces in accommodating the competing interests of the Congress and the IUML in appointments to educational institutions. While the IUML has managed to retain its preferred candidate as pro-VC after intervention by its state president, the extension of a Left-backed official in a post claimed by both coalition partners suggests that the contest over administrative positions is far from over.