By hampering the appointment of Vice-Chancellors to State Universities, Governor R. N. Ravi is obstructing the growth of the universities and the colleges affiliated, Assembly Speaker M. Appavu has said.
During an informal chat with the reporters after participating in the common feast organised at Sri Nellaiyappar Gandhimathi Ambal Temple here on Tuesday, Mr. Appavu said the search panels for Vice-Chancellors, which would be constituted as per the statutes of the universities, would have the representatives of the Governor, Syndicate Committee, and the State government.
The search committee, upon receiving applications from the aspirants, would shortlist the candidates and submit it to the Governor. Hence, the UGC had no role in the VC selection as being claimed by the Governor.
“The Supreme Court has even ruled that the government has the right to select the VCs while the UGC had no role in it. Governor R. N. Ravi, who is already sitting on a number of Bills passed by the Assembly, is preventing the appointment of Vice-Chancellors to the universities as per the statutes of universities, which has seriously impacted the growth of these educational institutions and the affiliated colleges. While the Centre refuses to release funds to T.N., the Governor is acting against the welfare of the State,” Mr. Appavu said.
The Speaker said the UGC, which was releasing grants to the universities and the colleges as per the rankings, had stopped doing this prime duty after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office.
“The UGC has been transformed into a body that feeds the ideologies of a particular community to the universities and the colleges, which is dangerous,” Mr. Appavu said.
Asked about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi being prevented from raising the issue of Chinese incursion in Parliament, the Speaker said Mr. Gandhi was just quoting the observations of former army chief M.M. Naravane from his unreleased memoir, which was checked by the Speaker, Ministers, and BJP MPs. If the government had nothing to hide, a Joint Parliamentary Committee should have been formed to visit the Indian territory allegedly under the Chinese control.
“After the 1962 Indo–Chinese war, there was no major clash between the two countries until Mr. Modi became the PM as we lost 20 soldiers in Galwan valley clash. The nation has every right to know about national security and hence Mr. Gandhi should have been allowed to speak,” he said.
On U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff reduction from 25% to 18% on Indian goods and his announcement of zero tariff on imports from the U.S., the Speaker said: “India’s trade and foreign policies are unilaterally decided by the U.S.”
Published – February 03, 2026 07:13 pm IST
