T’puram: BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has criticized chief minister V D Satheesan over his remarks on the participation of vice-chancellors of three state universities in a programme attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, accusing him of political hypocrisy.In a statement, Chandrasekhar said the CM’s attempt to question the VCs’ commitment to secularism was misplaced and politically motivated. He alleged that the govt came to power with the support of organisations such as Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI and therefore lacked the moral authority to lecture others on secular values.Chandrasekhar argued that universities should function free from political interference and that members of the academic community have the right to engage with diverse ideological viewpoints and participate in discussions on national issues. Criticizing VCs for merely sharing a platform with representatives of a national organization reflected political intolerance rather than democratic values, he said.Chandrasekhar also alleged that the controversy was being used to divert public attention from issues confronting the state govt.Chandrasekhar also accused both Congress and CPM of pursuing appeasement politics and accommodating extremist ideologies in mainstream discourse. According to him, Kerala’s voters have increasingly recognized similarities between the two parties in matters of vote-bank politics.
