Guv Ravi calls 3-day V-C meet, Left calls for boycott, says he has no authority

CHENNAI: The CPM and CPI on Sunday urged vice-chancellors of the state universities to boycott the three-day conference convened by Governor RN Ravi at the Nilgiris from April 25 to 27 in an apparent defiance of a recent Supreme Court verdict.

In a social media post, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said the state legislature had already passed a law removing the governor as chancellor of universities — a move upheld by the Supreme Court, which deemed the Governor’s delay in approving the Bills unconstitutional.

“The governor is deliberately provoking confrontation by inviting V-Cs to a meeting he no longer has the authority to conduct,” he said. “This is not only contempt of the Supreme Court verdict but also a gross violation of constitutional norms.” He called on the state government to formally direct V-Cs to boycott the event.

Separately, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan highlighted the significance of the April 8 Supreme Court ruling, which invoked its special powers under Article 142 to ensure the immediate implementation of state legislation that removed the governor from his role in university administration. One of these laws allows the chief minister to serve as the university chancellor.

Mutharasan raised concerns over Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s reported participation in the event, calling it “deeply disturbing” and questioning whether it marks the beginning of a coordinated political effort to undermine constitutional authority in the state.

“In a situation where the governor has legally lost his role, this conference is unconstitutional,” he said. “If the vice-president joins him, it raises serious questions about a possible political conspiracy.”

The CPI leader urged all democratic forces to unite and resist such overreach, calling the planned conference “a challenge to constitutional order” and urging vice-chancellors to reject participation as a matter of principle.