Kerala is witnessing a high-decibel political and social media war between the Congress-led UDF and the BJP after vice-chancellors of three universities in the state attended a function addressed by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan described the vice-chancellors’ presence at the RSS event as a “grave lapse” and demanded that they apologise to the people of Kerala.
Satheesan’s remarks drew a sharp response from BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who said in a post on X that it was unacceptable for a chief minister who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution to intimidate vice-chancellors for attending a public programme featuring the RSS chief.
“Keralam CM conveniently forgets that his own government was formed at the mercy of radical outfits like Jamaat-e-Islami and the SDPI—forces that openly advocate an ‘Islamic Republic’ in India,” he said.
This triggered a full-blown political exchange between the two sides. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala described the vice-chancellors’ participation as a “highly serious and unacceptable mistake.”
He said the incident came at a time when the government was resisting what it views as attempts by the Sangh Parivar to saffronise Kerala’s academic sector.
“Such moves can only serve to undermine the secular and non-partisan character of our universities, erode their credibility, and transform campuses—where independent thought must flourish—into breeding grounds for divisiveness and hatred,” Chennithala said in a post on X.
He also urged the vice-chancellors to publicly acknowledge their mistake and stay away from such events in the future.
Higher Education Minister Roji M. John also joined the debate, saying the vice-chancellors’ participation went beyond a personal choice and sent the wrong message.
“When individuals heading academic institutions that are expected to function on the foundations of secular and democratic values share such a platform, it sends the wrong message,” he said.
The row erupted after vice-chancellors of Kerala University, Mahatma Gandhi University, and Malayalam University participated in the RSS centenary programme.
Former BJP state president K. Surendran launched a scathing attack on the chief minister while defending the vice-chancellors’ presence at the RSS event.
“Only three vice-chancellors have so far attended an address by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Before the chief minister’s term ends, all the remaining vice-chancellors in Kerala will also attend Mohanji’s speeches in the same way,” he said.
Surendran warned the chief minister against picking "unnecessary fights", adding that he would meet the same fate as Mamata Banerjee, M.K. Stalin, and Pinarayi Vijayan, who he claimed lost power in recent Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala respectively.
The BJP leader further asserted that the RSS is the “life force and supreme spirit of this nation.”
