Did govt reject proposal to confer honorary D.Litt on President, Chennithala asks a few questions

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If the words of former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala are to be believed, then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has to come clean on why the recommendation of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as chancellor to confer Honorary D.Litt on President Ram Nath Kovind was shot down.

Chennithala's statement to the media on Friday morning if read with conjecture with Khan's utterances that some undesirable things have happened recently, is a shame to the country.

Speaking to the media, Chennithala said he wish to ask a few questions and it includes what Khan's statement means after he claimed to have said only very little things to the public as it is a shame.

Chennithala then asked Pinarayi to explain if Khan as chancellor had recommended to confer Hon D.Litt on Indian President and if it was true, then wish to know when was it.
"Was his proposal shot down by the Kerala University Vice-chancellor after the intervention of the Pinarayi government? Did the vice-chancellor instead of placing this request before the senate and syndicate of the Kerala University put it before the Pinarayi government? Can the state government intervene on aspects like this? Wish to know, if the recently retired Kalady Sanskrit University Vice-chancellor put up a list of three people to be conferred Hon D.Litt to the Governor, if so wish to know the names which were recommended? Want to know if the University get the reason why there was no accent to this from the Governor?" asked Chennithala.

Chennithala said if all these are true, it's a really shameful act of the Pinarayi government and all wish to know the chief minister’s stand on it.

Khan and the Pinarayi government have parted ways and it surfaced, after the former himself came out in the open that he, after December 8, is no longer the chancellor as he is feeling guilty for clearing the name of Gopinath Ravindran for re-appointment as Kannur University Vice-chancellor.

And with Chennithala breaking the unpleasant news of denying country's first citizen a Hon D.Litt, it remains to be seen what the Kerala High Court has to say on January 12 on the re-appointment of Ravindran, on how Pinarayi is going about doing things with a political outlook.