CM Stalin slams new UGC norms on university Vice-Chancellor appointments

CHENNAI: Slamming the Union government over the new UGC guidelines that grant Governors broader powers in the appointment of vice-chancellors, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday said the State would fight the 'unconstitutional' and 'unacceptable' move legally and politically.

Criticising the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP regime, Stalin said, "The new UGC regulations granting Governors broader control over V-C appointments and allowing non-academics to hold these posts are a direct assault on federalism and State rights. This authoritarian move by the Union BJP government seeks to centralise power and undermine democratically elected State governments."

Emphasising that education must remain in the hands of those chosen by the people and not dictated by Governors acting at the BJP government's behest, Stalin said education being under the Concurrent List in the Constitution, the UGC’s move to issue the notification unilaterally was unconstitutional. “This overreach is unacceptable, and Tamil Nadu will fight it legally and politically."

He added that Tamil Nadu, which leads the nation with the highest number of top-ranking HEIs, will not stay silent as institutions are stripped of autonomy.

The Union government notified the UGC guidelines against the backdrop of a face-off between the State government and Governor RN Ravi over the inclusion of a UGC nominee in the search panel for identifying V-Cs for the universities in Tamil Nadu.

At least half a dozen universities here remain headless over the dispute between the Raj Bhavan and Fort St George in the search panel constitution.