Tamil Nadu govt to boycott MKU convocation ceremony

The government also accused the Governor of converting university functions into 'political events'

Tamil Nadu government will boycott the 54th convocation of the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) in protest against Governor R N Ravi changing the convention by asking the Guest of Honour, Union Minister of State L Murugan, to speak after the Higher Education Minister, who is also the pro-chancellor.

Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy, while announcing the boycott, also accused the Governor of converting university functions into “political events” that propagate views that are in complete contradiction with that of the state government. The point of contention is the ‘Guest of Honour’ being asked to speak after the pro-chancellor which is against the convention.

“More than a Governor, he (Ravi) is turning into an active campaigner for the BJP,” Ponmudy told reporters. Later, the Higher Education Minister issued a detailed statement in which he accused the Governor of interfering in producing the invitations for the convocation ceremony by changing the conventions.

“The governor does not consult the state governments while appointing Vice-Chancellors to universities funded by the state. And now he interferes in the way convocations are conducted,” Ponmudy said.

The pro-chancellor and the chancellor speak at the end of the convocation event but the Governor’s office has changed the convention by asking Murugan to deliver his speech after Ponmudy.

“This is wrong and against the rules and convention. Even if a Union Minister is invited, he should speak before the pro-chancellor. The minute-to-minute programme has to be designed in this way. But it is unfortunate that the Governor’s office has changed that convention as well,” Ponmudy said.

He also pointed out that it is the pro-chancellor who participates in the convocation ceremony and awards degrees if the chancellor is not able to participate. “Despite pointing out the change of convention, the Governor’s office has not made any changes to the minute-to-minute programme. Hence, we are boycotting the convocation ceremony,” he said.

The DMK government has had a running battle with the Governor ever since he assumed office in September 2021. The government says the Governor is “sitting on” as many as 19 bills by not giving his assent. Ravi also opened several fronts with the DMK government by pushing for implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP) which is being opposed by the ruling party and advocating introduction of a three-language formula.