Thiruvananthapuram: BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has strongly criticized chief minister V D Satheesan over his remarks concerning the participation of vice-chancellors from three state universities in a programme attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, accusing him of political hypocrisy.
In a statement, Chandrasekhar asserted that the chief minister's attempt to question the vice-chancellors' commitment to secularism was misplaced and politically motivated. He alleged that the current government came to power with the support of organizations such as Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI, and therefore lacked the moral authority to lecture others on secular values.
Chandrasekhar argued that universities should function free from political interference and that members of the academic community have the right to engage with diverse ideological viewpoints and participate in discussions on national issues. He stated that criticizing vice-chancellors for merely sharing a platform with representatives of a national organization reflected political intolerance rather than democratic values.
He also alleged that the controversy was being used to divert public attention from the various issues confronting the state government. Furthermore, Chandrasekhar accused both the Congress and the CPM of pursuing appeasement politics and accommodating extremist ideologies within mainstream discourse. According to him, voters in Kerala have increasingly recognized the similarities between the two parties when it comes to vote-bank politics.
Stay updated with the latest Thiruvananthapuram news. Download the TOI App.
