High drama in KU Senate as LDF members stand their ground

High drama at Kerala University Senate meet as Minister and members clash over Vice-Chancellor selection committee.

High drama unfolded at the Kerala University Senate meet on Friday as it witnessed the unusual participation of Higher Education Minister R. Bindu for the discussion on nominating a representative to the Vice-Chancellor selection committee.

While the Left Democratic Front (LDF)-backed members, who constitute the majority in the Senate, opposed Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s directive, pro-United Democratic Front (UDF) members and those nominated by the Governor proposed separate candidates to be chosen as the university’s nominee.

The meeting also saw the Minister briefly engaging in an argument with Vice-Chancellor in-charge Mohanan Kunnummal over its chairmanship.

The special meeting, convened to discuss the single-point agenda, recorded an attendance of 92 members, including the Vice-Chancellor and the Minister. The LDF ensured a comfortable majority by ensuring 64 of its members reported for the meeting.

Fearing the possibility of protests by the Students Federation of India (SFI) as seen at Calicut University, 13 of the newly-nominated members, supposedly backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reached the Senate hall around two hours prior to the meeting.

The Thiruvananthapuram City police brought the Kerala University headquarters under a tight security blanket in anticipation of untoward incidents.

Soon after Dr. Bindu read out the agenda for the meeting, the LDF members highlighted its purported illegality and moved a motion to call off the discussion. The Minister soon declared the resolution as passed and announced the meeting to have concluded.