The ongoing tussle between Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI (M)]-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government is set to escalate further with the nomination of members to the Senate of Kerala University emerging the new flashpoint.
The Raj Bhavan drew criticism from left organisations after it ignored several recommendations made by the university to nominate 17 members representing various constituencies to the Senate on Friday. The nominees, they alleged, include the members of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and other BJP-affiliated organisations. Only two or three recommendations made by the university were accepted by the Governor, sources claimed.
The controversy mirrored another that has been unfolding in Calicut University where the nominations made by the Governor prompted CPI (M) State secretary M.V. Govindan to accuse the former of “orchestrating an illicit tie-up between the Sangh Parivar and the United Democratic Front (UDF) to gain control of universities”.
The development could pave the way for the BJP to find berths in the Syndicates of both universities for the first time.
The nominations made by the Governor in various constituencies include Shyamlal and Kavitha O.B. (high school headmasters), P.S. Gopakumar and S. Mini Venugopal (school teachers), Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute senior scientist Vinodkumar T.G. Nair (research institutions), G. Sajikumar (cultural associations), Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry president S.N. Raghuchandran Nair (chambers of commerce), NIMS Medicity managing director M.S. Faizal Khan (industries), Sreeprasad R. (authors) and Janmabhumi news editor Sreekumar P. (journalists).
Federation of University Teachers’ Associations accused the Governor of misusing his authority to fill key posts in decision-making bodies with Sangh Parivar affiliates. The nominations, they claimed, have been made by shunning prospective candidates with greater qualifications and stature.
