The political row over the participation of three Vice-Chancellors in an RSS programme intensified on Sunday, June 14, with BJP leaders launching a sharp counterattack against Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan, arguing that he himself should apologise for his association with the RSS.
A day earlier, the Chief Minister had demanded that the Vice-Chancellors apologise to the people of Kerala for attending an RSS centenary programme in Thiruvananthapuram on June 13, which was attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
Kerala University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal, Mahatma Gandhi University Vice-Chancellor-in-charge Mavoothu D, and Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University Vice-Chancellor-in-charge C R Prasad participated in the event.
The controversy erupted after Satheesan described the Vice-Chancellors’ participation as a “grave lapse” and said they had acted in a manner inconsistent with Kerala’s educational traditions and the dignity of their offices. He alleged that by attending a programme led by an RSS leader, they had undermined the prestige associated with the post and asserted that any action promoting communalism, irrespective of who was responsible, would not be accepted.
The controversy erupted after Satheesan described the Vice-Chancellors’ participation as a “grave lapse” and said they had acted in a manner inconsistent with Kerala’s educational traditions and the dignity of their offices. The Chief Minister said the Vice-Chancellors had “undermined” the respect associated with the post by participating in a programme led by an RSS leader and asserted that “any action that promotes communalism, regardless of who is responsible for it, will not be accepted.”
Responding to the Chief Minister’s remarks, BJP Kerala president K Surendran questioned Satheesan’s criticism of the Vice-Chancellors. “If attending an RSS event warrants an apology to Keralam, then you should be first in line to apologize,” Surendran said in a post on X. He had posted an image of CM Satheesan attending the birth centenary event of RSS ideologue MS Golwalkar.
Responding to the Chief Minister’s remarks, BJP Kerala president K Surendran questioned his criticism of the Vice-Chancellors. “If attending an RSS event warrants an apology to Keralam, then you should be first in line to apologise,” Surendran said in a post on X. He also shared a photograph of Satheesan attending the birth centenary event of RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar.
Former Union Minister V Muraleedharan accused the Chief Minister of attempting to intimidate university heads for attending an event organised by a lawful organisation.
“The Chief Minister is trying to intimidate Vice-Chancellors for attending an RSS programme. RSS is not a banned organisation, and no university rule prohibits VCs from participating in its events. If the government believes a violation has occurred, it should act legally instead of issuing threats,” Muraleedharan said.
He further alleged that the statements were aimed at “appeasing Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI while targeting a nationalist organisation that has served the nation for a century.”
Senior BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar also criticised the Chief Minister, alleging that he had no grounds to lecture others on secularism while relying on the support of organisations such as the Indian Union Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami.
“It is unacceptable that a CM who takes an oath to uphold law and Constitution is now intimidating Vice-Chancellors for attending a public program with the respected head of RSS, Dr Mohan Bhagwat ji,” Chandrasekhar said.
He further alleged that both the Congress and the CPI(M) were engaged in vote-bank politics and claimed that attempts to portray the BJP and RSS as threats for electoral gains were losing relevance in Kerala.