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Universities can grow only if CMs are chancellors: Stalin
The Governor on November 13 returned 10 bills to the state, and in a special assembly session on November 18 the Stalin-led government readopted them
Chennai Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on Tuesday praised the late AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa for deciding that the state’s CM should be the chancellor of the state-run music and fine arts university.
Addressing the convocation of the Tamil Nadu Dr J Jayalalithaa Music and Fine Arts University here, Stalin said, “Only if chief ministers are chancellors, universities can grow and they will grow.”
His statement hinted at his opposition to the governor’s position as chancellor of universities. The statement comes a day after the Supreme Court questioned Governor R N Ravi for sitting on 12 bills based on Tamil Nadu’s petition. The bills includes a legislation to curtail the governor’s powers as chancellor and give that power to the chief minister of the state. The Governor on November 13 returned 10 bills to the state, and in a special assembly session on November 18 the Stalin-led government readopted them.
As chancellor, the governor also appoints vice-chancellors to state universities. This is the contention of a second petition by the Tamil Nadu government in the Supreme Court challenging the notification of the governor who added a UGC nominee in the search committee for three universities in Tamil Nadu.
The Tamil Nadu Music and Fine Arts University was established by Jayalalithaa in 2013 when she was chief minister. Following her death in office, her successor Edappadi Palaniswami renamed it in 2019 as The Tamil Nadu Dr J Jayalalithaa Music and Fine Arts University.
“That if it’s in the hands of others, it may fall apart. That is why back in 2013 Jayalalithaa decided that the chief minister should be the chancellor of this university. We have to appreciate her for this,” said Stalin. “I appreciate her with all my heart while thinking of today’s situation.”
Stalin also announced that the government grant for the university would be increased to ₹3 crore from ₹1 crore from the next financial year to the Dr J Jayalalithaa Tamil Nadu Music and Fine Arts University.
