Pon Radhakrishnan: Guv will name corrupt persons, if situation warrants

Chennai: Union Minister of State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan has claimed that Governor Banwarilal Purohit will reveal the names of those involved in corrupt practices in the appointment of vice chancellors to various universities, if the situation warrants.

“The governor has mentioned that there has been corruption in the appointment of vice chancellors. He will disclose the names of those involved in the corrupt practices if the situation warrants,” Mr Radhakrishnan said on Sunday. He was responding to a question from media persons on the governor’s claim that crores of rupees had exchanged hands in the appointment of vice-chancellors to universities, before he took over.

“In the appointment of vice-chancellors...exchanging (of) money in crores, I could not believe that, then I decided that things had to be changed,” Mr. Purohit said at an event on education in the city on Saturday. He added that the people of Tamil Nadu would appreciate that “till date I have selected nine vice-chancellors, purely on merit, nobody can raise a finger (against him)...from vice-chancellors to primary school teachers — all appointments should be clearly on merit.”

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Radhakrishnan took potshots at the predicament in the ruling AIADMK after AMMK leader T.T.V. Dinakaran said the ongoing tussle between the two parties is a fight amongst “partners.”