Kerala’s ruling Congress party on Wednesday launched a political war against Governor P Sathasivam, appointed early last month by the NDA Government in the Centre, over his intervention as Chancellor in the issues plaguing the 13 universities in the State.
“It is only legitimate to suspect that the Governor, appointed by the BJP-led Government, could be interfering in the State Government’s day-to-day affairs with political intentions,” State Congress vice-president MM Hassan, who is also a staunch loyalist of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, said in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
Governor Sathasivam had on Monday held a meeting of the vice-chancellors of all universities in the State in an attempt to find solutions to the various issues plaguing them. The meeting was held at the Cochin University of Science and Technology in Kochi and 12 of the 13 vice-chancellors had participated in it.
Congress leaders including the Chief Minister and Kerala PCC president VM Sudheeran had objected to the appointment of Justice Sathasivam as Governor even before the President had issued the order. Chandy had protested saying that it was inappropriate for the Centre to appoint a Governor without consulting the State Government.
leveling scathing criticisms against the Governor, Hassan claimed that no vice-chancellor had ever intervened in the universities’ affairs so far the way Justice Sathasivam had done and this amounted to infringement upon the powers of the Government. This was against the spirit of democracy, Hassan charged.
The meeting of VCs Justice Sathasivam had called using his discretionary powers as Chancellor had decided to constitute a Chancellor’s Council to review the affairs of universities from time to time and formulated some measures for the smooth functioning of the institutions and hassle-free conduct of examinations.
Hassan said that the Chancellor’s Council the meeting had formed under the Governor had no legal validity. “This discretion of the Governor as Chancellor to intervene in varsity affairs has always been there. But nobody had used it. To call a meeting of vice-chancellors and take decisions at it is clearly an act of interference in Government’s day-to-day affairs,” he alleged.
The PCC vice-chief said that the Chancellor had the powers to summon a VC of a particular university or to terminate his services. “But he doesn’t have the right to call a meeting of the VCs of all universities,” Hassan said, adding that he had brought the matter to the notice of the Chief Minister and the Government.
“By definition, the Governor has the power to convene the State Assembly but such powers have never been used by Governors,” Hassan said. “Will this Governor do such things if an occasion arisesIJ” he asked, adding that such acts were not expected from a person like Justice Sathasivam who was the Chief Justice of India.
“No comments,” was the answer Chief Minister Chandy offered when newsmen asked him about the Governor’s act of convening the VCs’ meeting. When newsmen pressed him further for a clear response, he said, “I can respond only on appropriate matters.”
Congress MlA TN Prathapan, also a Syndicate member of the Calicut University where administration and academic activities are lying frozen for the past several weeks, said he did not share Hassan’s opinion. “The Governor has all the powers to do that. This was intended to make the varsities more efficient and for improving their academic standards,” he said.