‘Attempt to saffronise’: TN parties condemn JNU VC on Madras University panel

Jagadeesh Kumar was nominated by Governor Banwarilal Purohit to the search panel for Madras University's next Vice Chancellor.
‘Attempt to saffronise’: TN parties condemn JNU VC on Madras University panel
‘Attempt to saffronise’: TN parties condemn JNU VC on Madras University panel

Both allies and opponents of the ruling AIADMK party in Tamil Nadu have opposed the nomination of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice Chancellor (VC) M Jagdeesh Kumar as the head of Madras University's Vice Chancellor search panel. While the DMK pointed out that nomination was an attempt to saffronise educational institutes in the state, the PMK insisted that Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who made the appointment, choose an educationist from Tamil Nadu for the panel.

Jagadeesh Kumar's nomination to the panel was also criticised by staff from the Madras University on two counts. The first being that the Chancellor is mired in controversy over the way he handled the student protests that took place in JNU in January and also over the fact that his qualifications and experience do not make him suitable for the role.  The other two members on the panel include P Ramasamy, the former Vice Chancellor of Alagappa University, who is a syndicate nominee and P Maruthamuthu, former Vice Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University, who is a senate nominee. The current Madras University VC Duraisamy's three-year tenure ends in May.

In a statement on Twitter, MK Stalin asked whether the nomination of Jagadeesh Kumar was part of AIADMK's effort to saffronise education in Tamil Nadu.

"JNU saw a brutal attack on its students even while its Vice Chancellor watched on and displayed negligence. It is almost as if the post has been given to him as a reward for how he acted by the Governor and it will set a terrible example," read the statement. "In the name of creating transparency in choosing the Vice Chancellor of the University, the Governor is going against political ethics to saffronise higher education institutes in the state," he alleged.

The DMK President further pointed out that this was an attempt to humiliate Tamil Nadu at the national level, by creating the illusion that the state did not have anyone qualified enough to lead the search panel.

PMK Chief Dr S Ramadoss also condemned the move and questioned if there was no one qualified enough in Tamil Nadu to lead the panel.

"It seems like Jagadeesh Kumar has been nominated with the intention of appointing someone from another state as VC of Madras University. We can't let Madras University be ruined the same way that Anna University was," said the PMK leader. "Handing over charge of Tamil Nadu's universities to people from other states is dangerous. The Governor should not continue this and the Tamil Nadu government must not allow this" he added. 

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