Kochi: Kerala law minister P Rajeev on Sunday hit back at Governor Arif Mohammed Khan after he sought the resignation of the vice-chancellors of nine universities in the state. Neither any regulation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) nor the Constitution say the Chancellor should be the Governor, said Mr Rajeev.
Governor Khan, while pointing out the issue of the V-C appointment to various universities in Kerala, had said the Supreme Court itself had made it clear that the appointment of vice-chancellors was the responsibility of the Governor. Reacting to this, Mr Rajeev said: ‘Governor and Chancellor are two. Governor is a constitutional position. Chancellor is a statutory position. Chancellor is a position with only powers conferred by laws passed by the legislature. That can be X or Y. Nowhere in the Constitution of India does it say that the Chancellor should be the Governor. Nowhere in any regulation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) does it say that the Chancellor should be the Governor’.
The minister also responded to the Governor’s statement where he drew parallels between Punjab and Kerala, saying Kerala is replacing Punjab as the capital of drugs. In a strong statement, Mr Rajeev said, ‘Some have declared war on Kerala. Who in a responsible position does that? Kerala is a state where the rule of law prevails. In Kerala, the government is taking a very strong and uncompromising action against drug usage’.
‘At present, there are limitations in central laws and we demand that it be overcome. The state government is taking strong action against drugs. Many people are conspiring to defame Kerala. Not sure if this is a part of it. All responsible people should respond based on facts. Speeches and statements one make while being in a responsible position should be based on facts’, siad Mr Rajeev.
On Saturday, while criticising the Pinarayi Vijayan government for its liquor policy, the Governor said the state is on the process of replacing Punjab as the ‘capital of drugs’. While everyone was carrying out campaigns against the consumption of alcohol, the Kerala government was encouraging it, he said.
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