Thiruvananthapuram: The crucial meeting of the Kerala University academic council on Saturday would be stormy, for differences between vice-chancellor P. K. Radhakrishnan and the Left syndicate members. The VC had postponed an earlier meeting scheduled for April 1 alleging death threats to him from CPM syndicate member A. A. Rahim. He had put the university campus under a tight security and closed the syndicate room following the incident. However, the pro-CPM All Kerala Private College Teachers Association (AKPCTA) alleged the postponement was a deliberate attempt to delay the approval of the appointment of over 200 teachers in aided colleges affiliated to the university during the last three to four years.
AKPCTA alleged he was deliberately delaying them. There was also an allegation that the meeting was postponed to derail the approval process. CPM syndicate members may also raise his decision to defer the meeting during the academic council unilaterally. Pro-UDF syndicate members were also unhappy with the decision to postpone the meeting earlier. They had met Governor P Sathasivam, who is also the chancellor of universities, and expressed their displeasure over the open fight between the LDF members and the VC which had resulted in the postponement. However, such protest would make little impact on the meeting as most of the members are academicians like deans and chairpersons of exam boards.
