Why Kerala's Opposition wants its Higher Education Minister to quit

Yet again, an appointment row is stirring up a storm in Kerala. This time, it comes with the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University.

On Monday, a letter written by Higher Education Minister R Bindu to Governor (Chancellor) Arif Mohammad Khan, recommending the reappointment of Gopinath Ravindran as Kannur University Vice-Chancellor, became public. However, the minister refused to speak to the media when she was approached for comment on the issue.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said Bindu’s silence was an admission of her guilt and demanded her resignation. “The minister has no right to continue in office. If she refuses to quit, the Chief Minister should demand her resignation,” Chennnithala told reporters. Chennithala said Bindu’s letter is a clear example of nepotism and corruption. There is a serious dereliction of duty on her part, he added. Chennithala reminded that E P Jayarajan and KT Jaleel had to step down from the first Pinarayi government when they faced similar charges.

The Congress leader also said that he would approach the Lok Ayukta against the minister. “The governor himself has admitted that he erred in the appointment of Kannur University vice-chancellor. By writing a letter on a matter in which she had no say, it is clear that the minister was directly involved in all the irregularities,” he said.

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Meanwhile, BJP’s youth wing, the Yuva Morcha, took out a march to Bindu’s official residence here demanding her resignation. Waving black flags, the Yuva Morcha activists tried to barge into her residence but were arrested and taken away by the police.