A massive controversy erupted in Kerala on Sunday after three vice chancellors (VCs) attended an event addressed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat in Thiruvananthapuram, with Chief Minister VD Satheesan condemning them and promising action against them for their participation.
The chief minister called their action 'unbecoming' of the state's educational tradition and said the three VCs must apologise to the people of Kerala. He also said the VCs have 'undermined' the respect of their positions.
"Any act that promotes communalism, whoever commits it, is unacceptable and will not be condoned," Satheesan said in a post on X (previously Twitter).
Pinarayi Vijayan, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Kerala Assembly, also criticised the VCs and said their participation was an attempt to expand the RSS's foothold in the coastal state. He further alleged that attempts were being made to impose RSS agendas in universities.
"This is a clear example of how the RSS is trying to tighten its grip over the higher education sector," the former chief minister said, while questioning the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government for failing to oppose the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar in Kerala.
However, the BJP was quick to defend the VCs and accused the UDF government of "politics of appeasement. Leading the charge for the saffron party was BJP's state unit chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who said Satheesan was trying to 'intimidate' the VCs for attending a public event.
He also lambasted the Left alliance, saying it, along with the UDF, aims to use the BJP and the RSS for vote-bank politics. However, Chandrasekhar said the days to use the saffron party to 'distract people' in Kerala are over.
"Keralam CM conveniently forgets that his own government was formed at the mercy of radical outfits like Jamaat-e-Islami and the SDPI- forces that openly advocate for an "Islamic Republic" in India," the former Union MoS said in a post on social media.
The three officials -- VCs of Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi and Malayalam Universities -- attended the RSS centenary celebrations held in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. The event was attended by Bhagwat, who spoke about the RSS's history and said how the organisation was 'misunderstood', while maintaining that it is not opposed to any section of society or political party.
ALSO READ - Kerala govt reinstates 2 IAS officers suspended by Vijayan-led LDF regime; why were they suspended?
