Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 11 Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday alleged that the appointment of the new KCHR chairman was an attempt to saffronise the institution, prompting Higher Education Minister Roji M John to hit back, accusing the opposition of routinely branding qualified individuals as ‘Sanghis’.
John defended the appointment of Vinod Kumar Kallolickal, a professor in the Department of History at Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, as Kerala Council of Historical Research (KCHR) chairman, citing his “high academic qualifications”.
Describing Vijayan’s remarks as an act of “political vendetta” against the appointee, the minister also said that when Kallolickal was active in the Left Teachers Union, his alleged “Sangh Parivar connections” had not been an issue for the opposition leader or his party.
‘Sanghi’ is an informal, often derogatory term used to refer to a person associated with or supportive of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or its ideology.
The term comes from Sangh, referring to the RSS.
John claimed that the professor became “unpopular” when he refused to permit a well-known leader of a prominent student outfit at Maharajas College to pass an exam without actually writing it.
“The political vendetta against him (Kallolickal) since then has now resulted in him being branded as a ‘Sanghi’ on being appointed as KCHR chairman,” the minister contended in a Facebook post responding to Vijayan’s allegations.
Earlier in the day, Vijayan termed the new chairman as “unqualified” and contended that it was a “highly condemnable” move to sabotage the appointment to the post.
He claimed that the names recommended by the search committee were arbitrarily cut out and a person not considered by the panel was appointed instead.
The CPI(M) veteran alleged that the appointment was carried out following the direct intervention of the Principal Secretary of Higher Education and claimed that it was part of the agenda to saffronise KCHR.
Senior IAS officer B Ashok is the current principal secretary of the Higher Education Department and was suspended by the previous LDF administration in April this year for public criticism of government policies and social media remarks.
Vijayan, in his statement, further claimed that professors Sanal Mohan and Dr V J Varghese, who are members of the search committee constituted by the UDF government, have protested against the undemocratic action by submitting their dissent notes to the government.
“In addition, the resignation of eminent historians — professors Janaki Nair, Lakshmi Subramanian and Manu V Devadevan — from the KCHR executive committee also highlights the seriousness of the situation,” he said.
He claimed that the RSS has tried to saffronise the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) whenever it comes to power at the Centre,
The LoP contended that just like the appointment of RSS pracharaks at the head of the ICHR when the NDA came to power in 2015, a similar agenda is now being implemented in Keralam under the UDF government.
He also alleged that the same official who worked with the Governor against the government when the bill to remove the Governor from the post of Chancellor was passed, during the time of the LDF government, is now implementing the RSS agenda in the KCHR.
“The news that the Higher Education Minister has personal interests behind this also adds to the mystery,” he contended and demanded an immediate review of the government’s decision to install an allegedly unqualified person as the head of KCHR.
Vijayan contended that Keralam will definitely resist such moves that have the potential to destroy the state’s higher education sector and historical research institutions.
Replying to his allegations, John said that neither he nor the Higher Education Department have any vested interests in the appointment.
“A history teacher with high academic qualifications and invaluable research experience has been appointed to this post solely on the basis of merit. Those who are calling Vinod Kumar as ‘unqualified’ are deliberately pretending not to see his immense academic activities,” the minister contended.
He also said that the government has no agenda to politicise any academic institution in Keralam, including KCHR, and we will not support any such efforts.
“Only those who are deserving and qualified will be at the helm of such institutions. The opposition should withdraw from its stance of insulting the academic community to settle political differences,” John said.
(PTI News)
