Row Over Kerala VCs Attending RSS Event Escalates into BJP-UDF War
15 Jun 2026 10:48 AM IST15 Jun 2026 10:48 AM IST
Former BJP Kerala president K Surendran strongly defended the Vice Chancellors' participation and the RSS while taking a swipe at Chief Minister V D Satheesan
Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan with state BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar (PTI)
Thiruvananthapuram: The political row over three Kerala university Vice Chancellors attending a function addressed by RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has intensified, with senior BJP leaders and ministers in the Congress-led UDF government exchanging sharp views on social media. The posts mark a continuation of the war of words that erupted after the Vice Chancellors of Kerala University, Mahatma Gandhi University and Malayalam University participated in the RSS centenary programme in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
Former BJP Kerala president K Surendran strongly defended the Vice Chancellors' participation and the RSS while taking a swipe at Chief Minister V D Satheesan.
In a Facebook post, Surendran claimed that only three Vice Chancellors had so far attended an address by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and asserted that, before the Chief Minister's term ends, "all the remaining Vice Chancellors in Kerala will also attend Mohanji's speeches in the same way".
He also declared that "The RSS is the life force and supreme spirit of this nation" and advised the chief minister not to "pick a fight unnecessarily".
In an apparent reference to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administering the oath of office to Satheesan as chief minister, Surendran said, "The person who administered your oath of office on the Constitution was also a member of RSS. The person who accepts your resignation will likewise be an RSS member".
Referring to criticism from Muslim organisations against the vice chancellors, Surendran told Satheesan, "Your associates- -including the Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, and PFI members- -will, like you, end up lamenting in vain".
Stating that the RSS is the "life force and supreme spirit of the nation," he said that in Kerala alone the organisation has four Members of Parliament, three Members of the Legislative Assembly, one Mayor and one Deputy Mayor, two Municipal Chairpersons, numerous Panchayat Presidents, and around 2,000 Panchayat members.
"So, do not try to pick a fight unnecessarily," Surendran said, warning that Satheesan would meet the same fate as Mamata Banerjee, M K Stalin and Pinarayi Vijayan, who lost power in the recent Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, respectively.
Surendran made the remarks after Satheesan, in a social media post on Sunday, criticised the vice chancellors' participation in the RSS event.
Following Satheesan's response, ministers in the UDF government also took to social media to criticise the vice chancellors' attendance at Bhagwat's function.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala described the participation of the three vice chancellors as "a highly serious and unacceptable mistake", saying it came at a time when the government was resisting what it sees as attempts by the Sangh Parivar to saffronise Kerala's academic sector.
"Such moves can only serve to undermine the secular and non-partisan character of our universities, erode their credibility, and transform campuses-where independent thought must flourish-into breeding grounds for divisiveness and hatred," Chennithala said in a post on X.
He said the three vice chancellors should publicly acknowledge their mistake and ensure that they stay away from such programmes in future.
Higher Education Minister Roji M John also criticised their participation, calling it "an extremely serious matter" and arguing that it went beyond a personal choice.
"When individuals heading academic institutions that are expected to function on the foundations of secular and democratic values share such a platform, it sends the wrong message," he said.
"The office of a Vice Chancellor symbolises the academic and administrative neutrality of a university. Academic positions should never be allowed to become aligned with any form of ideological polarisation," the minister added.
John further said that the vice chancellors should have the integrity to admit publicly that attending the event was a mistake and ensure that it is not repeated.
The social media exchange comes shortly after Satheesan criticised the vice chancellors' presence at the RSS event, describing it as a "grave lapse" and demanding that they apologise to the people of Kerala.
Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan had also attacked the move, alleging that it reflected attempts by the Sangh Parivar to tighten its grip over the higher education sector.
Responding to Satheesan's remarks, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar had said on X that it was "unacceptable that a CM who takes an oath to uphold law and Constitution is now intimidating vice-chancellors for attending a public program with the respected head of @RSSorg @DrMohanBhagwat ji".
"Keralam CM conveniently forgets that his own government was formed at the mercy of radical outfits like Jamaat-e-Islami and the SDPI - forces that openly advocate for an 'Islamic Republic' in India," Chandrasekhar had alleged.
( Source : PTI )
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