Thiruvananthapuram, June 27 (IANS) The appointment of Sajitha Rani, a leader associated with a BJP-backed teachers’ organisation, as the Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Agricultural University by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has triggered a fresh political controversy, with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) alleging a systematic attempt to install ideologically aligned academics in the state’s universities.

The appointment comes close on the heels of a similar controversy over the Governor’s selection of a Vice-Chancellor for Mahatma Gandhi University, prompting the SFI to accuse Lok Bhavan of pursuing a deliberate agenda to expand the Sangh Parivar’s influence in higher education.

The Governor appointed Sajitha Rani after rejecting the three-member panel recommended by the State Government for the post. The vacancy arose after the incumbent Vice-Chancellor, B. Ashok, was shifted from the Agriculture Department.

The State Government is learnt to be upset over the move, pointing out that the Kerala Agricultural University Act requires the Chancellor to consult the Government before appointing a Vice-Chancellor. Critics contend that no such consultation took place and that the Governor acted unilaterally, bypassing established procedures.

Higher Education Minister Roji M. John alleged that the appointment was part of a larger attempt by the Centre to tighten its grip over State universities through the Governor’s office.

He said that the authority to appoint Vice-Chancellors rests with the State and that what they were witnessing was an attempt to foist the Centre’s nominees on universities and undermine the autonomy of higher education institutions, adding that it was wholly unacceptable.

Agriculture Minister T. Siddique said the State Government had drawn up its panel solely on the basis of academic excellence and merit, but the Governor had disregarded those recommendations.

He added that their panel was prepared after evaluating academic credentials and merit, but instead, the appointment appeared to have been made primarily on the basis of seniority, overlooking the government’s considered recommendations.

Launching a scathing attack, SFI State Secretary P.S. Sanjeev described the appointment as a blatant misuse of the Chancellor’s powers and a direct assault on democratic and federal principles.

He said that rejecting the government’s panel reflected an attempt to saffronise Kerala’s universities, which the organisation would resist “at any cost.”

The student organisation also sought to give the controversy a political twist by raising questions over a recent meeting between Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and the Governor, claiming it had fuelled suspicions surrounding the appointment. The SFI demanded that the UDF and Siddique publicly clarify their stand on the issue.

The latest appointment is expected to further intensify the ongoing confrontation between Lok Bhavan and the State Government over control of appointments and governance in Kerala’s universities.

–IANS

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