DMK Treasurer and Leader of Opposition MK Stalin has written a letter to the Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao demanding the removal of Vice Chancellors of ten state universities after they met late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s aide Sasikala Natarajan at Poes Garden in Chennai.
He stated that their meeting with Sasikala, who holds no official position, is “unethical, unwarranted and unconstitutional” and has breached the rules of appointment, conduct and regulations attached to their post. In his letter written to the governor, Stalin requested that appropriate action be taken to “effectively prevent the politicisation of the office of the Vice Chancellors and belittling the dignity of the autonomous status of the universities of the state”.
The 10 Vice Chancellors along with the Registrar of Anna University had met Sasikala at Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence on Monday. A picture of the meeting published in the AIADMK’s mouthpiece “Dr Namadhu MGR” on Tuesday stated that they had called on Sasikala to offer their condolences and that they also urged her to “take over the leadership mantle” from Jayalalithaa.
Hitting out at their visit, Stalin said, “Such attitude on the part of vice chancellors prove that their loyalty is neither for the academic excellence of the state nor for the chancellors of the universities.”
The DMK leader, however, isn’t the only one to raise an alarm over their meeting. Education activist and director of Change India, A Narayanan, condemned the “shocking and shameful act” of the Vice Chancellors meeting Sasikala “in the guise of expressing grief at the demise of former CM Jayalalithaa.” He also alleged, “This amply demonstrates how VC posts have all been given away on the basis of political loyalty and of course money.”
In an interview to The Hindu, P Vanangamudi, Vice Chancellor of the Dr Ambedkar Law University said, “It was a courtesy call but made to ensure political stability in the State. The bureaucrats have extended their support to the universities, and in this context, the Vice Chancellors felt that they should also extend support to the ruling party. It was only a formal condolence meeting.” Vanangamudi’s tenure as VC ended on December 10.