Chennai, May 28 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan on Thursday strongly asserted that the rights of the state would never be compromised under the newly formed TVK-led government, amid a political controversy over the authority to appoint Vice Chancellors to state-run universities.

The Minister’s clarification came a day after his remarks in Madurai triggered sharp reactions from several political parties, including the DMK, the VCK, the CPI, and the PMK.

During an interaction on Wednesday, Viswanathan had reportedly said that the new government was not bound to continue every policy introduced by the previous administration, particularly those related to the Chief Minister functioning as Chancellor of universities.

His statement sparked criticism from opposition parties and alliance leaders, who accused the government of diluting Tamil Nadu’s long-standing stand on protecting states’ autonomy in higher education matters.

Addressing reporters on Thursday, Viswanathan clarified that his comments had been misunderstood and reiterated that safeguarding Tamil Nadu’s rights remained a top priority for the government.

“Our stand is very clear. The rights of the state are of utmost importance. As an MLA, as a Minister, and as a citizen of Tamil Nadu, I can assertively state that we will not compromise on this,” he said.

He further stated that the government remained committed to protecting the rights and interests of every citizen of Tamil Nadu and stressed that there was no intention to surrender any constitutional or administrative powers of the state.

Explaining his earlier remarks, the Minister said the final decision on the issue would be taken by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, after consultations with officials of the Higher Education Department and Cabinet colleagues.

“The Chief Minister will take a final call after detailed discussions with the department and other Ministers. What I made was only a general comment and not a response in any specific context,” he said.

The controversy centres around the power to appoint Vice Chancellors in State universities. During the previous DMK regime, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had passed amendments to various university Acts transferring the authority to appoint Vice Chancellors from the Governor to the Chief Minister, a move projected as part of the state’s larger fight for federal rights and autonomy.

“We are a new government. I do not want to go into the details of the issue now, but neither the Congress nor the TVK will ever surrender the rights of the people of Tamil Nadu,” Viswanathan added.

–IANS

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