Tamil Nadu Governor seeks explanation from VCs for visiting Sasikala

Chennai: Taking strong objection to their meeting with Sasikala ostensibly to pay condolences to late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao, chancellor of state universities, on Monday sought an explanation from 10 vice chancellors on their visit.

In a communication sent to higher education secretary A. Karthik, the Governor's office pointed out that the “vice-chancellors are expected to be impartial and not to take a political stand” and asked him to seek “remarks” from the vice chancellors. The communication is also understood to have taken exception to the VCs asking Mrs Sasikala to take over the reins of the AIADMK.

“The Governor has asked for remarks from the higher education department,” sources in the Raj Bhavan confirmed to DC. The move by Raj Bhavan comes days after political leaders, including leader of Opposition M. K. Stalin taking strong objection to their meeting with Mrs Sasikala and seeking Governor's personal intervention.

In the communication, the Governor's office is understood to have asked, “how can they (VCs) go to a political leader's house as a delegation and ask her to lead the party?”

After receiving the letter from the Governor's office, the higher education secretary wrote separate letters to the VCs in question asking them to explain why they led a delegation to the residence of a political leader. Mr Karthik is also believed to have asked whether they had sought prior permission for making such a visit from authorities concerned. However, the vice-chancellors part of the delegation denied receiving any such letter.

One Vice-chancellor who met Sasikala Natarajan last week said they did not urge her to take over the mantle of AIADMK. “We just paid floral tributes to the portrait of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and expressed our condolences. We did not say anything to Sasikala,” he said.