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AIADMK protests against Jayalalithaa Univ merger
The DMK has justified its decision stating that Jayalalithaa University has remained non-functional as it was passed for namesake during the fag end of the previous regime without taking any practical steps, such as funding for its functioning.
Tamil Nadu police on Tuesday detained former deputy chief minister O Paneerselvam and other AIADMK lawmakers and later released them for protesting against the ruling DMK’s move to merge Dr J Jayalalithaa University in Villupuram district with Annamalai University in Chidambaram.
When minister for higher education K Ponmudy introduced the Tamil Nadu Universities Laws (Amendment and Repeal) Bill 2021 for the merger, AIADMK’s former higher education minister K Anbazhagan was on his feet to oppose it. He was followed by Panneerselvam, who eventually led a walkout from the ongoing assembly and they sat in protest on a busy arterial road along the Kalaivanar Arangam, where the assembly takes place. The ‘road roko’ went on for about 15 minutes before the police picked them up and detained them inside a marriage hall.
After being released, Panneerselvam accused the Dravida Munnetra Kazahagam (DMK), which formed the government in May, of political vendetta. “From the time when she was chief minister from 2011, Amma (Jayalalithaa) rolled out several schemes and made high budgetary allocations for us to excel in the higher education sector and for the overall progress of the state,” said Panneerselvam. “She established several colleges during her governance. No chief minister of any state has achieved the way she has, so it is only apt to name an educational institution after her.”
In February earlier this year, the then All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) regime passed a Bill in the assembly to establish Dr J Jayalalithaa University in Villupuram to start functioning from this academic year. It was to honour their leader, who passed away in office in December 2016.
Panneerselvam added that it was late Jayalalithaa who saved Annamalai University from closing down due to a shortage of funds and allocated funds annually for the running of the institute. “The DMK has introduced this Bill out of political vendetta just to remove Amma’s name,” said Panneerselvam, adding that the student community, people of Tamil Nadu and the AIADMK condemn the move.
When the AIADMK had passed the Bill in February, it also gave effect to the bifurcation of the Vellore-headquartered Thiruvalluvar University and to create a new academic institution with headquarters in Villupuram. The colleges in the surrounding districts of Villupuram, Cuddalore and Kallakurichi would be disaffiliated from Thiruvalluvar University, and transferred to the newly established university, which they named after Jayalalithaa.
The DMK’s new bill seeks to repeal the Dr J Jayalalithaa University Act 2021. It also seeks to convert the Annamalai University from a unitary institution to an affiliating university so that the colleges in Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi and Mayiladuthurai could then be affiliated to the Annamalai University.
The DMK denied passing this bill out of political vendetta. The party has justified its decision stating that Jayalalithaa University has remained non-functional as it was passed for namesake during the fag end of the previous regime without taking any practical steps, such as funding for its functioning. To this, Panneerselvam said that it’s a newly established university and the new government should support it.
DMK said that since Annamalai is an existing renowned institution with 1000 acres of land and other infrastructure, it would be more beneficial to students. “Annamalai University has now come under the government and by changing it from a unitary to an affiliating university, we can get UGC grants and it will be beneficial for students from the surrounding districts as it is already a renowned institution,” said DMK spokesperson Constantine Ravindran. DMK also cited the example of two other educational institutes that are named after Jayalalithaa in the state, but they aren’t changing those names or scrapping those institutions.
