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- Kerala VCs attended RSS event, sparking political controversy.
- Kerala ministers deemed attendance unacceptable, BJP strongly defended VCs.
- Debate over academic autonomy and political influence intensified statewide.
The political controversy over three Kerala university vice chancellors attending an RSS function addressed by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat intensified on Sunday, with BJP leaders and ministers in the Congress-led UDF government exchanging sharp remarks on social media.
The row erupted after the vice chancellors of Kerala University, Mahatma Gandhi University and Malayalam University participated in the RSS centenary programme in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan criticised their attendance, describing it as a “grave lapse” and demanding that they apologise to the people of Kerala.
BJP Hits Back
Responding to the criticism, former BJP Kerala president K. Surendran strongly defended the vice chancellors and the RSS.
In a Facebook post, Surendran said only three vice chancellors had so far attended a speech by Bhagwat and claimed that all remaining vice chancellors in Kerala would eventually attend similar events before the current government’s tenure ends.
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Describing the RSS as the “life force and supreme spirit of the nation”, he advised the chief minister not to pick an unnecessary fight with the organisation.
He also took a swipe at the government, saying the governor who administered the chief minister’s oath was associated with the RSS and suggesting that future constitutional processes would similarly involve individuals linked to the organisation.
Ministers Call Attendance ‘Unacceptable’
The controversy drew strong reactions from ministers in the UDF government.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala termed the participation of the vice chancellors a “highly serious and unacceptable mistake”, arguing that it could undermine the secular and non-partisan character of universities.
He said academic institutions should remain spaces for independent thought rather than becoming arenas for ideological influence.
Higher Education Minister Roji M John also criticised the move, saying it went beyond personal choice.
“The office of a Vice Chancellor symbolises the academic and administrative neutrality of a university. Academic positions should never be allowed to become aligned with any form of ideological polarisation,” he said.
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Political Tempers Rise
The row has also triggered a broader debate over academic autonomy and political influence in higher education.
Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan accused the Sangh Parivar of attempting to tighten its grip on the higher education sector.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar defended the vice chancellors, saying it was wrong to target them for attending a public programme addressed by Bhagwat.
With both sides digging in, the controversy has evolved from a dispute over a single event into a wider political confrontation over the role of ideological organisations in Kerala’s academic institutions.
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