Delhi, First Published Dec 12, 2021, 4:31 PM IST
Delhi: Governor Arif Mohammad Khan says he stands by what he said in the letter. Arif Mohammad Khan said in New Delhi that he had no intention of confronting the government and did not want to work under pressure. The governor said he would not respond to allegations of external interference.
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Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; The governor did not respond to a request for comment.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan responded to the governor’s criticism of political interference in universities by calling a press conference. The Chief Minister’s response was that the Governor’s public statement regarding the appointment was extremely unfortunate. The statement that the appointment of the VC is based on party politics is not correct at all. The CM said he had not asked the governor to do anything against his conscience.
The Chief Minister said that the government had never aspired for the post of Chancellor and demanded that the Governor should continue in the post of Chancellor and not resign. Pinarayi said in a press conference that the government does not have a policy of confronting the governor. The explanation is that the governor replied in the affirmative. The CM said that the resident reference at the time of the amendment of the citizenship law was not a personal reference to the Governor but a political response.
The Governor and the Chief Minister face to face
The Chief Minister was responding to a press conference after the governor’s public outburst against the politicization of higher education was a major setback for the government and the Front. With this, the age-old grievances against the problems in the field of education and the devaluation of the higher education sector are being revived. The new controversy also raises the question of where justice is for the common man if the governor himself is disgusted with the chancellor’s position.
It has been a long time since the over-politics of the universities, the appointment of high-ranking officials, including vice-chancellors, the appointment of relatives of political leaders and high-ranking officials, and the protection of business interests, which have never been accepted by the general public, have begun in our universities. Kerala’s weakness was that it did not keep pace with the progress of higher education in the world. During the UDF rule, a CPM leader accused the UDF of appointing VCs on the basis of caste and politics.
The governor, who took a public stand against the government during the citizenship protests, later had good relations with the chief minister and ministers. Arif Mohammad Khan, who used to come to Cliff House for birthday celebrations, has come out with unprecedented criticism of the government. The controversy has escalated into a publicity war between the chief minister and the governor.
Last Updated Dec 12, 2021, 4:49 PM IST
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