Former Higher Education Minister and DMK MLA K. Ponmudi on Monday demanded the withdrawal of the nomination of BJP State vice-president B. Kanagasabapathi as the syndicate member of the Bharathiar University in Coimbatore. Prof. Kanagasabapathi was nominated to the syndicate recently by Governor-Chancellor Banwarilal Purohit.
In a statement in Chennai, Mr. Ponmudi said that his nomination was an attempt to destroy and saffronise higher education in the State. This was highly condemnable.
Mr. Ponmudi urged the Governor to cancel the nomination. “Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Higher Education Minister K.P. Anbazhagan should mount pressure on the Governor to cancel Mr. Kanagasabapathi’s nomination,” he said.
Pointing out that Mr. Kanagasabapathi was first nominated as a syndicate member three years ago when he was part of the intellectual wing of the BJP, the DMK leader said that he has been renominated now, even though he was made the vice-president of the State BJP recently.
“Though the Governor, as the Chancellor of the University, could nominate three members to the syndicate, he should only nominate educationists and not BJP leaders. By appointing a BJP leader, the Governor has set a wrong precedent,” Mr. Ponmudi said.
