Slogans were raised against the governor’s decision to invite BJP’s Minister of State L Murugan to the convocation ceremony of Madurai Kamaraj University, regardless of conventions.
Slogans were raised against the governor’s decision to invite BJP’s Minister of State L Murugan to the convocation ceremony of Madurai Kamaraj University, regardless of conventions.
Condemning Governor-Vice Chancellor RN Ravi’s special invitation to Union Minister of State for Fisheries L Murugan for the convocation ceremony of Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU), members of various political parties staged a protest near the Collectorate here on Wednesday.
The protesters raised slogans against the governor’s arrival in Madurai and the governor’s decision to invite Mr. Murugan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the convocation of the university regardless of conventions.
“The governor is taking powers beyond his purview, by changing the conduct of the convocation,” said C. Perarivalan, state general secretary of Tamil Puligal Katchi.
He alleged that it was a political move to deliberately implement the principles of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which are indulging in the politics of hate.
Mr Perarivalan said that when invited to educational institutions, they indulge in hate speech against religious beliefs tarnishing the harmony among students, which is condemnable.
He also called for the resignation of the governor, who has been consistently taking a political stand, which he should refrain from doing as per norms.
Member of the State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) R. Vijayarajan, Anna Dravida Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam President Pasumpon Pandian, Dravida Viduthalai Kazhagam district president Mani Amuthan, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, Adhi Thamizar Pervai and other organizations took part in the protest.
Later the city police detained 31 members.
Meanwhile, over 25 members of the Social Justice student movement were picked up by the police after they staged a protest with black flags outside the MKU. The protesters, led by its district secretary Sheikh Ibrahim, blocked the Madurai-Theni highway for a few minutes after the governor’s convoy entered the university campus.
Rahul, the Madurai district secretary of the Students Federation of India, was picked up early in the morning as a precaution as the SFI had planned to hold a protest against the governor later in the day.
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