Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan is the latest person to jump into the fray to voice his displeasure against a Karnataka native being appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Anna University.
“We asked for water from Karnataka and we get a vice-chancellor from Karnataka instead. The gulf between people and the government cannot be more obvious. Are they taunting us so we react adversely? I wonder what their game plan is,” Kamal tweeted.
We asked for water from Karnataka and we get a vice-chancellor from Karnataka instead. The gulf between people and the government cannot be more obvious. Are they taunting us so we react adversely? I wonder what their game plan is
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) April 6, 2018
Later in the day, Kamal posted another tweet, where he clarified that the previous tweet was not a swipe at the newly-appointed VC. He listed some of his Kannadiga friends, and said that it was a "humourous quip" at the governments.
Mr.Nagesh One of my Gurus. Mrs. S Mr. Rajkumar anna Mrs. Sarojadevi and my friends Mr. Rajnikanth and Mr. Ambresh are my own.That was a humorous quip at the central and state governments Not a swipe at the Chancellor . Nevertheless TN needs water.
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) April 6, 2018
On Thursday, Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit appointed MK Surappa as the VC of Anna University for a period of three years.
In a Facebook post late on Thursday, DMK leader MK Stalin said at a time when the Cauvery water issue was at its helm, the appointment of Surappa was not acceptable.
Stalin suggested not to saffronise Tamil Nadu universities by importing Vice Chancellors from outside while insulting the "sons of the soil".
"We ask the Governor to not belittle the scholars and academicians from Tamil Nadu by bringing people in a row from outside for various positions. There should also be no attempt made to saffronise the educational premises in Tamil Nadu," said MK Stalin in a tweet.
நம் மண்ணின் கல்வியாளர்களையும் அறிஞர்களையும் இழிவுசெய்யும் உள்நோக்கத்துடன் வெளி மாநிலங்களில் இருந்து வரிசையாக துணை வேந்தர் பதவிகளுக்கு இறக்குமதி செய்து தமிழகத்தில் உள்ள பல்கலைக்கழக வளாகங்களை "காவி" மயமாக்க வேண்டாமென்று மாண்புமிகு ஆளுநர் அவர்களை வலியுறுத்தி கேட்டுக் கொள்கிறேன்.
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) April 5, 2018
PMK founder S Ramadoss on Friday said the appointment does not respect the feelings of the Tamil people and was condemnable.
Ramadoss said his party would mobilise the varsity's students and protest against Surappa's appointment.
The PMK leader said when there were good educationists in Tamil Nadu, "importing" a person from another state was not acceptable.
He said no Tamilian was appointed as Vice Chancellor for Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, Pondicherry University and The Indian Maritime University for a long time.
Surappa had previously served as the Director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, for six years. A Doctorate in Metallurgical Engineering, Surappa has 30 years of teaching experience of which 24 years were spent at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
With IANS inputs