Governor should give up vendetta against suspended V-C of Tamil varsity in Thanjavur : Thirumavalavan

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) founder and Chidambaram Member of Parliament Thol. Thirumavalavan on Sunday said the Governor of Tamil Nadu R.N. Ravi should abandon his ‘combative approach’ and ‘vendetta’ against V. Thiruvalluvan, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil University, Thanjavur and revoke his suspension order. Mr. Thiruvalluvan was suspended weeks before his tenure was about to end. It was about to end next month.

In a statement, Mr. Thirumavalavan acknowledged that the allegations of irregularities in the appointment of 40 professors during 2017–2018, and cases related to them were still pending in the court and the Vice-Chancellor had issued permanent appointment orders at the conclusion of their probationary period. This was done with the approval of the Syndicate, which is the university’s governing body.

“This was done with the explicit condition that the appointments were subject to the final verdict of the court. The Governor has suspended the Vice-Chancellor primarily for issuing these orders. However, it must be noted that the appointments in question and the current Vice-Chancellor are unrelated,” Mr. Thirumavalavan said.

He said, “Dr. Thiruvalluvan is known for performing his duties with integrity and courage, without succumbing to the pressures of caste-dominant groups within the university. He prioritised Dravidian literature and socialist ideologies, organising several events on these themes within the university campus. Notably, he coordinated the unveiling of a statue of the communist poet Tamil Oli through a video conference with the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, expressing gratitude and appreciation for the Chief Minister.”

Mr. Thirumavalavan said that it was evident that the Vice-Chancellor’s failure to align with the Governor’s preferences was the root cause of this punitive action.

Published - November 24, 2024 10:00 pm IST