Hours after the LDF Government in Kerala decided to bring in an ordinance to remove the governor as chancellor of universities in the state, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has given a clear hint that he will not give his approval to the Ordinance to strip him of his powers as chancellor.
He said he will send the ordinance to the consideration of the President.
In an e interview given to a Malayalam news channel on Wednesday, Arif Mohammed Khan said that the proposed ordinance to divest governor of chancellor’s powers has not reached him, once it reaches him, he will seek clarification from the government on the necessity of such an Ordinance and he will send it to the president as he didn’t like to sit in judgment of his own cause.
“The ordinance has not reached me. After it reaches me they (the government) will have to first brief me about the contents. They have to brief me and satisfy me that there are some grounds that made such an ordinance necessary. If they can satisfy me, and since I don’t like to sit in judgment of my own cause, I will refer it to the President,” Governor Khan said.
The LDF Government has on Wednesday decided to bring in an Ordinance to remove the Governor as Chancellor of the universities in the state. The state cabinet which met here on Wednesday took the decision to this effect after the conflict between Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the LDF government reached a flash point.
Higher Education Minister R Bindu said the ordinance would pave the way for the appointment of academicians of repute as chancellors in various universities. She said the decision was part of the government’s ongoing reforms in the higher education sector.
Governor Khan said that any interference in the running of universities by the government has been prohibited by the UGC regulations, which were laid down in the first place to protect the autonomy of universities. He further said the Supreme Court had made it categorically clear that all appointments made violating the UGC Regulations were invalid.
“I will apply the UGC Regulations for even interim arrangements that will have to be made,” he said.
In an interview given to another Malayalam news channel, Khan said the government in Kerala is not for common people. It is functioning only for party cadres. It is a government of the cadre, by the cadre and for the cadre,” he said.
As regards the letter purportedly sent by Thiruvananthapuram mayor Arya Rajendran to the CPI-M district secretary, Anavoor Nagappan seeking a ‘priority list’ of candidates from the party for contractual appointments in the Corporation, Khan said he won’t feel any surprise in it.
He said there are matters which he cannot legally interfere, those matters shall be made known to the people of Kerala and he will continue to reveal these facts to the people of Kerala.
Young people have lost hope in Kerala, Kerala’s youth depend on other states for employment. Even for higher education, they are depending on other states,Khan added.