Latest news with #MVGovindan
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Centre using guvs, VCs to derail higher edu: Govindan
T'puram: CPM state secretary M V Govindan accused the Centre of attempting to derail Kerala's progress in the higher education sector by using governors and vice-chancellors to further ideological agendas. Govindan told reporters on Friday that VCs are being chosen based on affiliations with Sangh Parivar activities, marking an unprecedented development in the state's academic sphere. On the state's education achievements, Govindan claimed that the state's institutions are making significant strides, with 16 of India's top-performing colleges located in Kerala, as per recent assessments. He said the NITI Aayog report also specially commended the state's performance in higher education. He said the LDF govt prioritised educational development but its efforts are being subverted by the Centre through unconstitutional actions. "Governors are being used as tools to execute the Sangh Parivar agenda in universities. Many VCs now appointed are regular participants in Sangh-backed conferences. This is a new and alarming trend in Kerala," Govindan said. He defended the ongoing student protests across the state, stating that they are aimed at safeguarding Kerala's academic autonomy and constitutional values. "VCs are now taking positions that go beyond their constitutional mandate. Students, youth and teachers are resisting this undemocratic trend with strong interventions," he said. On the KEAM rank list controversy, Govindan admitted that the govt's intervention to provide more opportunities for students studying under the Kerala syllabus did not yield the intended results. "The move didn't work out in practice, and the delay in policy thinking was a factor. The party advised the govt to make necessary corrections next time," he said. He highlighted concerns that many students were adversely hit when their ranks dropped in the revised list, citing the example of a former top-ranker who fell to the seventh rank. "The govt must ensure that students from the Kerala syllabus are not pushed back in future admission processes. What happened this time should serve as a lesson," Govindan added. He said the corrective changes should have been reflected in the KEAM prospectus itself.
NDTV
08-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Video: Left Activists Storm Kerala University In Protest Against Governor
Thiruvananthapuram: Members of the left-wing group Students' Federation of India (SFI) broke into the campus of Kerala University today in protest against what they called "saffronisation" of the institution. The protest happened while Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was participating in an international seminar on the Sanskrit language, titled 'Global Issues and Sanskrit Knowledge Systems'. This was the first time the Governor - who is also the Chancellor of the university in Thiruvananthapuram - visited the campus in two years, amid friction between him and the SFI. The police used mild force to prevent the protesters from creating a ruckus on the campus. Some SFI members were detained, while others kept shouting slogans against the Governor. #WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | SFI members enter the premises of Kerala University as they protest against the Governor alleging saffronisation of universities; Police try to bring the situation under control — ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2025 Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA MV Govindan also arrived at the campus to show support to the SFI. The row began when SFI opposed the use of a picture of 'Bharat Mata' at the university event. #WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala | SFI activists enter the premises of Kerala University as they protest against the Governor alleging saffronisation of universities — ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2025 The SFI has also been raising its voice against the suspension of Vice Chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal. On July 2, the Governor appointed Ciza Thomas, Vice Chancellor of Kerala Digital University, as the Vice Chancellor-in-Charge of the University of Kerala. Last month, SFI members protested against an order by Kunnur University, which decided to form a special committee to monitor university programmes for anti-national content. The order was later withdrawn.
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Nilambur debacle not a verdict against govt: CPM
T'puram: CPM state secretary M V Govindan said LDF candidate M Swaraj's defeat in Nilambur byelection was not a verdict against the Pinarayi Vijayan govt. In an article published in the party's mouthpiece Deshabhimani, he said CPM got its core votes in the constituency and attempts to project UDF's victory as something phenomenal were far-fetched. Govindan said CPM would undertake a self-introspection to ascertain why Swaraj failed to win the byelection and if required, the party would take corrective steps and move on, he said. "LDF will confidently face the local body polls at the end of this year and the assembly election scheduled next year. Communists and Left parties view elections as part of their political struggle," he said. Govindan said LDF's prospects to retain power in the next assembly election were not linked to Nilambur bypoll. In the article, he said LDF fought Nilambur byelection focusing on development and secularism. He claimed that LDF took a strong stand against communal forces. "This struggle doesn't end with a setback. It will continue in future," he said. Govindan said it would be wrong to say that Nilambur debacle shook LDF's base. UDF used to win Nilambur since it was formed in 1965. CPM candidates won elections only twice. Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi won polls in Wayanad with the support of Jamaat-e-Islami, the Indian version of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. This is not good when the opposition parties in India are engaged in the fight against communal forces, he said.
New Indian Express
19-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Nilambur sets tone for future polls; emotional topics trump real issues
MALAPPURAM: UDF is pinning hopes on the possible consolidation of anti-CPM Muslim votes that are likely to be divided among Aryadan Shoukath, P V Anvar, who is fighting as independent, and SDPI candidate Sadiq Naduthodi. There is fear in the UDF camp that the votes against the 'anti-people policies' of the LDF government may be divided among these candidates as all of them raised similar issues against the CPM in the campaign. Jama'at had intensified the campaign with added vigour as the stake is high for the organisation. More than anything else, the CPM raised the issue of Welfare Party's support to the UDF as the main component of the campaign. The UDF believes that the CPM has ulterior motive of garnering the Hindu votes behind singling out the Jama'at, sidelining all other issues including the performance of the government and the development of the constituency. CPM state secretary M V Govindan's controversial remarks on the RSS became an unexpected tool for the UDF to buttress the argument. Welfare Party state president Razal Paleri said it is imperative to defeat the RSS-CPM coalition in Nilambur. 'The stand taken by the BJP in the initial stages of the election had raised suspicions. Now it is clear as to why the party fielded a weak candidate,' he said in a press release. In an article published in the Madhyamam daily on Wednesday, Jama'at leader O Abdurrahman said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM leaders tried to add spice to the campaign by bringing his organisation into the centre of discussions. 'Even before the Welfare Party declared support to the UDF, CPM state secretary M V Govindan and politburo member A Vijayaraghavan competed with each other to keep anti-Jama'at sentiments burning,' he said. There are also efforts from the UDF to utilise the anti-CPM sentiments raging in organisations that are traditionally loyal to the CPM. Facebook posts of Muhammadali Kinalur, former leader of the Kanthapuram group's Sunni Yuvajana Sangham, were used to put the CPM in trouble. Kinalur, however, clarified that his posts are his personal opinions and not that of any organisation.
Hindustan Times
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
CPI(M), Congress trade barbs over Jamaat-e-Islami backing UDF in Nilambur bypolls
As the campaign for the by-election in the Nilambur assembly constituency in Kerala enters the last lap, the two principal political fronts LDF and UDF continued to clash with each other over maintaining friendship with fringe outfits like the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). The controversy in the June 19 bypoll campaign stemmed after the Welfare Party of India (WPI), the political arm of JeI, announced its support for the UDF in the bypoll last week. Since 2019, the WPI has backed the UDF in most elections. Following the WPI's move, the CPI(M) has targeted the Congress-led UDF relentlessly for maintaining close links with 'extremist' outfits like JeI and accepting their support during election campaigns. CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan asked the Congress national leadership to clarify if it has the same stance as the state leadership about an outfit like the JeI. 'For the first time in India, a Congress leader publicly said the current form of JeI was unlike its past and that the outfit has changed. Priyanka Gandhi is here to campaign in Nilambur. I want her to clarify if the national leadership also feels the same way about JeI. What's the Congress national leadership's stand on tying up with communal outfits like the JeI,' said Govindan. He said the Congress would make JeI an associate partner of the UDF to garner a 'few votes' in Nilambur and in the upcoming local body and assembly elections. Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan hit back stating that CM Pinarayi Vijayan was the first to welcome Jamaat-e-Islami leaders. 'He even said once that there was no need for anyone to cover their heads while meeting JeI leaders, indicating it was not wrong to meet them. But now, the CM has forgotten all that. He has changed his colours. The CPM's target is clear. It wants to divert the public attention away from the failures of the state government during the bypoll campaign,' he said. The Nilambur bypoll is scheduled on June 19 and the votes will be counted on June 23.
