Thiruvananthapuram: Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal alleged Wednesday a “tacit understanding” between Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Venugopal claimed this understanding influenced the recent Vice-Chancellor appointments for Dr. Ciza Thomas at APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and Dr. Saji Gopinathan at Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology.
Background on VC Appointments
The appointments drew criticism because both the Chief Minister and Governor had previously opposed these specific individuals for university leadership roles. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier opposed Dr. Thomas’s appointment as Vice-Chancellor of Kerala University. This opposition was reportedly underscored by state-sponsored SFI protests against her.
Conversely, Governor Arlekar, who serves as Chancellor for state universities, had provided detailed reasons against Dr. Gopinathan’s appointment as Vice-Chancellor of a technical university. These prior objections from both leaders establish the context for Venugopal’s current allegations.
Congress Raises Questions
K.C. Venugopal, who is also an MP from Alappuzha, stated that all previous objections from both the Governor and Chief Minister have now “gone up in smoke.” He questioned the sudden reversal of positions, asking, “Why is that? Was there a direction from the top?”
Venugopal asserted that these events clearly indicate an “antardhara,” meaning a tacit understanding, between the two state leaders. He claimed they “have compromised in order to fool the people,” labeling the situation as “very serious.”
Supreme Court’s Role
The controversial appointments came just days before the Supreme Court was scheduled to address the Vice-Chancellor dispute on December 19 . The Apex Court had previously acknowledged a persistent deadlock between the state government and the Chancellor regarding these university posts.
Last week, the Supreme Court had appointed a committee. This committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, was tasked with recommending one name for each of the two Vice-Chancellor positions. The court expressed dissatisfaction that previous attempts to resolve the issue, including letters and meetings between government and Chancellor, had failed to yield a consensus. It declared the ongoing stalemate “unfortunate” and announced its intention to intervene to ensure appointments were made.
The underlying dispute focused on disagreements concerning the Chief Minister’s involvement in the selection process. It also stemmed from the Governor’s objections to several candidates proposed by the state government. The matter had escalated through litigation in both the Kerala High Court and subsequently the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had previously issued a warning, stating it would intervene if the Chief Minister and Governor could not resolve the matter amicably.