Tamil Nadu’s Higher Education Minister and the Pro-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU), K Ponmudy, notably abstained from the institution’s 14th convocation, which took place on a Wednesday. The official invitation for the event had initially listed the minister’s name, alongside the Governor’s, as expected attendees.
Reports indicate that Minister Ponmudy’s absence was a deliberate move to express his opposition to Governor RN Ravi. However, there hasn’t been any official statement issued regarding this matter as of yet. This wasn’t the first instance of the minister boycotting a convocation; he had previously done the same at Madurai Kamaraj University on November 2. This action was prompted by the Governor’s refusal to sign the documents required to confer an honorary doctorate on freedom fighter and veteran CPM leader N Sankaraiah. Earlier, Ponmudy had accused the Governor of delaying approval on various documents sent by the government, leading to the Tamil Nadu government resorting to seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention.
During the 14th convocation of Tamil Nadu Open University, a total of 9,776 graduates were awarded degrees by Governor RN Ravi, despite the minister’s absence. Ashutosh Sharma, the President of the Indian National Science Academy (NISA) and a former secretary to the central government in the Department of Science and Technology, was the distinguished speaker who delivered the convocation address.
Post Your Comments