The appointment of a native of Karnataka as vice-chancellor of Tamil Nadu’s Anna University has ignited a new controversy in the state, even as fury is rising against the neighbouring state over the Cauvery river water dispute. Displeasure started simmering the in ruling AIADMK over the appointment of vice-chancellors to the universities in Tamilnadu, BJP is completely alienated in the state politics.
The ruling party at the Centre is already under severe criticism for the injustice the state has faced in Cauvery issue, which has escalated to series of protests by all political parties in the state and on Saturday DMK started it’s cauvery retrieval march.
In the VC appointment issue, though governor Banwarilal Purohit came out with a well calcuated move by releasing the procedures followed in the appointment of vice chancellors to the universities in the state. Initially AIADMK leaders including CM Edapppadi K Palaniswamy and Minister D Jayakumar came out openly supporting governors action teeming it his prerogative. But law minister CV Shamugam and AIADMK MP Arunmozhithevan criticised governor for not consulting state over the appointment, though it is his prerogative and expressed that eminent educationists from Tamilnadu could have been appointed.
Now political parties in Tamil Nadu barring the BJP had expressed their displeasure over the appointments of vice-chancellors to various universities in Tamil Nadu. The latest one was last week in which, MK Surappa, a professor from the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore was appointed as vice-chancellor of Anna University. All Tamil leaders and owners of private universities questioned the propriety behind ignoring scholars from Tamil Nadu for the posts and bringing in candidates from outside.
M K Stalin, working president of the DMK alleged that the governor with the assistance of the centre was trying to saffronise the higher education sector in the State. “While we are agitating for Cauvery waters against Karnataka and demanding the constitution of CMB, the Governor brought in a Karnataka person as the vice-chancellor. This is an insult to the people of Tamil Nadu,” alleged Vaiko, leader of MDMK. Meanwhile, PMK came out with an allegation that Surappa faced allegations of corruption while he was Director of IIT Sopar in Punjab.