The Kerala Lok Ayukta ruling has come as a major relief for the embattled Higher Education Minister R. Bindu who has been in the eye of the storm since the reappointment of Gopinath Ravindran as the Vice Chancellor of Kannur University.
The verdict has understandably given an upper hand to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) as it adopted an aggressive stance while hitting out at its critics in the wake of the verdict.
Launching a broadside at Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala who had moved the Lok Ayukta, Dr. Bindu accused him of adopting an intolerant stance towards changes in the higher education sector. She came down hard on him even while expressing her gratitude towards Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan for his “cooperative mindset.”
“He (Mr. Chennithala) has been a prominent figure in the State’s political milieu since his young age. However, he has been hell-bent of whipping up controversies in a manner that is unfit for a senior statesman. His frustration at having lost the position of the Leader of the Opposition and urge to remain relevant in the political sphere could have driven him to chase baseless controversies,” she said, while urging the senior Congress leader to play “a constructive role” for the State’s progress.
The Minister, who has come under severe criticism by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan who held her responsible for the reappointment, refrained from engaging in confrontation with him. She stressed the need to foster cordial relations with the Governor for the betterment of the State. Dr. Bindu also accused the media of distorting facts and diverting public attention from crucial issues that deserved attention.
Terming the Lok Ayukta verdict illogical and irrational, Mr. Chennithala stood firm by his views in the controversy. Reiterating his accusation of nepotism against Dr. Bindu, he maintained that the reappointment was a clear violation of the Kannur University Act that has been passed by the Assembly.
“The Minister was not within her powers to recommend the reappointment and nullify the process of selecting a new Vice Chancellor. The clean chit given to the Minister lacks legal basis and is unacceptable,” he said, while refusing to respond to the “personal attacks” against him.
Mr. Satheesan, who addressed the media in Kochi, felt the Lok Ayukta had considered the case purely on the grounds of corruption. However, the verdict did not factor in the illegalities behind violating Section 10 of the Kannur University Act that mandated criteria for appointing Vice Chancellors. He added that the Governor was equally at fault as the Higher Education Minister in the issue.
Both the Congress leaders claimed they were critical of the verdict and not the Lok Ayukta.
