The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have stepped up their demand for the resignation of Higher Education Minister R. Bindu.
Ms. Bindu had come under a cloud after Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala published a letter she had purportedly written to Governor Arif Muhammad Khan demanding the Chancellor disband the search committee for appointing a new vice chancellor for Kannur University.
In lieu, the Minister allegedly wanted Mr. Khan to extend the tenure of the current vice chancellor, who is due for retirement. The "expose" immediately triggered a demand for Ms. Bindu's resignation.
Congress workers staged a march to the Kannur University. BJP activists attempted to storm the official residence of Ms. Bindu in the capital.
The Congress alleged the political decision to extend the Vice Chancellor's tenure was taken at the Chief Minister's Office. Earlier, Kannur University Vice Chancellor had come under Opposition criticism for allegedly preferring wife of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's private secretary K.K. Rajesh for a teaching post in the university over a "more qualified candidate".
The Opposition had alleged that the tenure extension of the current Kannur Universsity Vice Chancellor was a quid pro quo for "accommodating" Mr. Rajesh's wife Priya Varghese.
Meanwhile, a Kannur university Senate meeting has deferred the appointment of Ms. Varghese.
Mr. Vijayan sidestepped the issue while inaugurating the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] district conference in Ernakulam. Mr. Vijayan merely said the higher education sector in Kerala was soaring and had won accolades. The Chief Minister did not mention his alleged fallout with the Governor over the Kannur Vice Chancellor appointment. Ms. Bindu also steered clear of public comments.
Mr. Chennithala said that Ms. Bindu's silence on the issue was an admission of guilt. He would move the Kerala Lok Ayukta against her act of "nepotism and corruption".
“Ms. Bindu would meet the fate of E.P. Jayarajan and K.T. Jaleel who had to quit the Cabinet on nepotism and corruption charges," he said. Ms. Chennithala said he had also moved the High Court against Ms. Bindu.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Ms. Bindu.
He told the media in Paravur that the Chief Minister, who said there was no interference on the part of the government in reappointing the Vice Chancellor of Kannur University and that it was the Governor who made the reappointment in his capacity as Chancellor, was misleading the people.
The two letters sent by Ms. Bindu stood evidence to the State’s interference. It was on the Minister’s demand that the Governor took the wrong decision. The Governor should not endorse the wrong decisions taken by the State government and he made it clear in his letter to the Chief Minister, Mr. Satheesan said.
The Minister, he alleged, interfered in the independence of the universities and the powers of the Chancellor. Mr. Satheesan said that all appointments to posts in universities were under a cloud. He alleged that in university vacancies, kin of CPI(M) leaders were getting appointed.
