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Journalism of Courage
In the latest development in the tug-of-war between Governor R N Ravi and the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy has announced that he will boycott the convocation ceremony of Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU), scheduled for November 2. The dispute revolves around the Governor’s alleged refusal to ratify the state government’s plan to confer an honorary doctorate on N Sankaraiah, a freedom fighter and veteran Communist leader.
On Tuesday, Ponmudy emphasised that the decision to award the honorary doctorate was taken by the university Senate, in line with the university’s statutes regarding conferring honorary doctorates. The Madurai Kamaraj University Act, 1965, also requires the Governor to affix his signature on the certificate, as he is the Chancellor of all state universities.
In a statement on Wednesday, Ponmudy referred to university meetings in August and September in which the decision to honour Sankaraiah was taken. He highlighted Sankaraiah’s sacrifices for the country and the causes he has championed. Born in 1922, Sankaraiah abandoned his schooling to partake in the Indian freedom struggle and subsequently spent a cumulative nine years in prison during the freedom movement and later for raising people’s issues.
“Even in his advanced age, Sankaraiah continues to advocate for the oppressed. An honour announced for such a personality is being blocked by the Governor. While refusing to clear it, the Governor doesn’t have the courage to tell us why he is doing so. I made several requests, but he hasn’t heard any of these. I don’t know what’s wrong with his ears,” said Ponmudy, announcing his decision to boycott Thursday’s event at Madurai.
The minister linked the Governor’s decision to his alleged RSS affiliations. “If the Governor cannot respect a freedom fighter like Sankaraiah, the reason could be nothing else than his RSS past. The RSS doesn’t have any respect for freedom fighters,” he said.
Raj Bhavan officials weren’t available for comment.
The latest episode is an addition to the catalogue of confrontations between the Governor and the DMK government, including over issues related to universities. Previously, the state government had accused Governor Ravi of undue interference in the affairs of state-funded universities. Before that, the state government accused the Governor of issuing a notification on the appointment of a search committee for the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras, without consulting it.
