Chennai: Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K.Ponmudy said the Governor was only a nominated executive and that the Chief Minister should be made the Chancellor of State Universities.
Replying to the debate after tabling the Bill that seeks to empower the CM to appoint Vice Chancellors, he said. ‘What is wrong in naming the Chief Minister as Chancellor? Who is the Governor? He is only a nominated
executive. But, the Chief Minister is a popularly elected executive.’
The Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers are elected by the people, but the Governor is only a nominated executive, Ponmudy asserted.
Referring to how Vice Chancellors were appointed in Gujarat by the State
and not the Governor, the Minister asked: ‘The BJP members (who staged
a walk out at the introducry stage of the Bill) should have been here to hear
this.’
They should ask Prime Minister Modi what is wrong in other States doing the
same. The BJP members should go to Gujarat and ask this same question there, the Minister said, pointing out to the Chief Minister to be vested with the powers to appoint the VCs by making him the Chancellor instead of the Governor.