Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who is at loggerheads with the state government over alleged political interference in the functioning of the Universities, on Thursday said he was even ready to transfer the powers of chancellor to the Higher Education Minister, who is also the pro chancellor of the Universities.
"I am not interested in being the symbolic head of the universities", he told reporters here. Khan said it is not possible for him to work as chancellor under this atmosphere. "I will not be a party to lowering the standards of the Universities. I will not be a party to irregular appointments", the Governor said, adding that he was ready to legally transfer all his powers to the pro chancellor. Let them decide in the Cabinet... I am ready to transfer all powers to the pro chancellor", he said.
The Governor said he signed the papers reappointing the Vice Chancellor of the Kannur University "to avoid a conflict" with the government. "I am taking responsibility... I have done something wrong... that of course was to avoid conflict. But then I realised that even under pressure I should not have done that," Khan said about the recent re-appointment of Prof Ravindran as Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University for another four years.
The Governor on Wednesday had said he had ceased to function as chancellor from December 8 and his office must have forwarded to the state government, a notice served to the chancellor by the Kerala High Court on a plea challenging reappointment of the Kannur University vice chancellor. Criticising Khan, the Opposition Congress today said that his stand not to continue as the Chancellor of universities in the state was "illegal" and he was not supposed to talk like a child.
Leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, V D Satheesan asked what authority the Governor has to himself declare that he won't continue in the chancellor post, while senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala said his move would only adversely impact the independent and transparent functioning of the universities. The Governor and state government have been at odds for some time over the former's allegations of political interference in the functioning of the universities.
Protesting against the alleged bid to undermine the authority of the chancellor, Khan had recently shot off a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, requesting him to take over as chancellor of universities. "How could a Governor speak against the law? If it is so, what is the relevance of legislations passed by the Kerala University? The Governor is not anyone above law or criticism. He is bound to abide by the law prevailing in the state," Satheesan told reporters.
Alleging that it was illegal for a Governor to declare that he won't continue as a chancellor, he said it was not acceptable for him and his party. The Governor was not supposed to talk like a child, he added. Meanwhile, Chennithala said he could not approach the Lokayukta against Higher Education Minister R Bindhu over the letter she had written to Khan on the reappointment of the Kannur VC as the Governor's office was yet to give him the required documents, though it was sought via the Right to Information Act. Khan's announcement of quitting from the chancellor's post without seeking the resignation of the minister who challenged him would pave the way for her and the government to make more mistakes, Chennithala warned. The abrupt resignation would lead to an administrative crisis in varsities, he said.
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