'Politicisation Of Education Won’t Be Tolerated': Kerala Governor Arlekar On SFI’s Protest Banner At Calicut University

Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the university's chancellor, was there for a Senate meeting on Saturday when he noticed a banner on campus.

File photo of Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

Source : PTI

After seeing a protest banner referencing the right-wing icon, V D Savarkar by the Student Federation of India at the Calicut University, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said on Saturday that politicisation of educational institutions should not be tolerated.

According to a report by Indian Express, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, the university's chancellor, was there for a Senate meeting on Saturday when he noticed a banner on campus. The banner, left over from a previous protest by the SFI—the student wing of Kerala's ruling CPI(M)—read: “We need a chancellor, not Savarkar.”

Upset by the message, Arlekar raised the issue during the meeting. “I was just reading a banner there now, ‘We need a chancellor, not Savarkar’. Was Savarkar an enemy of this country? The Chancellor is here with you. You do whatever you want to do with the Chancellor. But what bad things has Savarkar done?”

V D Savarkar: A Right-Wing Icon

Calling Savarkar a right-wing icon who "never thought of his personal affairs", Arlekar added, “His home affairs…his house…his family… never. He always thought of others. He always tried to give something to others. I was not in fact intending to talk about Savarkar. But the banner has compelled me. Mr Vice-Chancellor, you have to take care of all such things. Politicising of educational institutions should not be tolerated."

This marks the first time Arlekar has publicly commented on political interference in Kerala’s educational institutions since taking office in January. His predecessor, Arif Mohammed Khan, had frequent clashes with the CPI(M) government over similar issues, often alleging "extreme politicisation" of the higher education sector.

During Khan’s tenure, Calicut University witnessed multiple SFI-led protests. Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was sworn in as the 23rd Governor of Kerala on January 2, 2025, taking over the position from Arif Mohammed Khan.