CHENNAI: Expressing shock at reports of Vice Chancellors of State Universities meeting V.K. Sasikala, confidante of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalihtaa, Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin on Thursday urged Governor CH.Vidyasagar Rao to remove them from their posts. He requested the Governor to initiate appropriate action in the capacity as Chancellor of universities under the relevant rules and regulations of their service conditions to remove them from the post of Vice Chancellors.
He wanted the Governor to “effectively prevent the politicisation of the office of the Vice Chancellors and belittling the dignity of the autonomous status of the universities in the State in order to ensure quality higher education to the youngsters who are the future of this country”. In a letter to the Governor, Stalin said Vice-Chanvellors of more than ten Universities in Tamil Nadu had met Sasikala and the Governor should intervene to uphold the decorum and dignity of the offices of Vice Chancellors.
“Academicians who are the torch bearers of higher education in the State calling on a person who is not holding any public office is unethical, unwarranted and unconstitutional. Such attitude on the part of vice chancellors prove that their loyalty is neither for the academic excellence of the state nor for the Chancellor of the Universities”, Stalin said. He said it is atrocious to read the comment of the just retired Vice Chancellor of Dr.Ambedkar Law University the vice chancellors felt that they should also extend support to the ruling party.
Though some of the vice chancellors claimed that they had been there to express condolence to the departed leader, the intention of the meeting is well articulated in the AIADMK’s official print Dr Namadhu MGR. The paper had published a photograph of the academicians posing with Sasikala with a caption saying that they had called on her to urge her to take over the leadership mantle.
