Hindus in Kerala have raised strong objection and have come out in the open over the appointment of Mubarak Pasha as the Vice-Chancellor of the Sree Narayana Guru Open University.
Various Hindu organisations including the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam are protesting against the ruling LDF Government’s decision to appoint Mubarak Pasha calling him an unqualified person to be the Vice-Chancellor of the Sree Narayana Guru Open University.
The ‘Save University Campaign Committee’ said in a statement that the hasty formation of the Open University was only to accommodate the unqualified CPM supporters to various posts.
The Save University Campaign has lodged a complaint to the Chancellor of the University, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, stating such appointments were against the rules of the University Grant Commission (UGC) and the university ordinance.
A petition has been filed for the cancellation of appointments of those who are not eligible as per the UGC rules.
PM Mubarak Pasha is currently working as the Head of Governance and Strategic Planning at Oman-based National University of Science and Technology.
It has been alleged Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel who is being grilled by the NIA for over his alleged involvement in the Kerala gold smuggling scam, handpicked Pasha.
Vellappally Natesan, general secretary of SNDP, which was founded by Sree Narayana Guru, said the appointment of an NRI as VC on the insistence of Minister KT Jaleel, has hurt the ‘Sreenarayaneeya’ community.
Natesan said, “It is highly deplorable that the government repeated its stand of shooing away the backward community from seats of power. The appointment of V-C has left the community dejected. It has defeated the very purpose of establishing a university and thus blackened the image of the Left government.”
The BJP has also joined the protest against the Government and BJP State President, K Surendran, said the appointment of Dr Mubarak Pasha as V-C was meant to further vote-bank politics.