THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has reiterated that the state government can remove him from the post of Chancellor. "The Chancellor is not a constitutional post, so the Chief Minister can assume that post. The government should bring in the ordinance and I am ready to sign it," he said.

The Governor said that political interference in the universities was intolerable and would not be tolerated. "School education system in Kerala is excellent. the higher education sector has gone to the dogs as even appointments are being made against the rules," he said.

The Governor also alleged that several close relatives of CPM leaders were being appointed to higher positions in the universities. "The government has appointed relatives of CPM leaders or party sympathisers to all higher positions in the universities. I tried my best to correct this, but the government is not cooperating. Though the government was informed about the irregularities in appointments, it did not respond," he said.

Khan said that he was deeply pained, especially when the retiring Vice-Chancellor of the Kannur University Gopinath Raveendran was given a four-year extension, last month.

"After signing the order I felt it was not right and then wrote to the Chief Minister asking him to pass an Ordinance so that he can take over as the Chancellor," said Khan.