'Minister has no authority to write letter to governor, no change in decision to vacate Chancellor position'; Governor toughens stance against Minister Bindu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has lashed out at Higher Education Minister R Bindu for sending him a letter recommending the reappointment of Dr. Gopinath Raveendran as Kannur University Vice-Chancellor.

"The minister has no authority to write a letter to the Governor. My job is not to reply to the minister," the governor said.

Reiterating that there was politics behind the appointment of the VC, the governor said that only the search committee had the power to select the vice-chancellor. He also said that there was no change in his decision to vacate the Chancellor position. The governor also said that he was not aware of the notice sent to him by the High Court.

Earlier, CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran had said that the minister had no authority to send a letter to the governor. Meanwhile, both Congress and BJP have demanded the resignation of the minister.