Kerala Minister Slams Vice Chancellors for Attending RSS Event

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu has come down heavily on the participation of several university Vice Chancellors in the “Gyan Sabha,” a national education conference organised by an RSS-affiliated organisation in Kochi. Describing their presence as a “disturbing alignment” with forces seeking to undermine Kerala’s progressive academic tradition, the minister issued a strongly worded statement on Monday.

The event, organised by Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas and inaugurated by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, reportedly saw the attendance of Vice Chancellors from four state universities, including one appointed during the current Left administration.

Bindu criticised the ideological thrust of the gathering, asserting that the Sangh Parivar is inherently opposed to the values of modern, inclusive, and democratic higher education.

“A forward- looking education system that engages with contemporary challenges is clearly intolerable to the Sangh Parivar,” the minister stated. She warned that any attempts to ideologically capture Kerala’s academic spaces must be actively resisted.

Terming the event part of a “regressive push” to reassert Brahminical dominance, Bindu alleged that its larger objective is to dismantle Kerala’s reputation as a knowledge-driven society.

“The so-called 'Gyan Sabha' is not an innocent academic forum. It is a vehicle for an anti-intellectual project that seeks to stifle independent thinking and academic autonomy,” she said.

Taking direct aim at the Vice Chancellors who participated, Bindu said their involvement lent dangerous legitimacy to what she called a “crude campaign against knowledge.”

“It may bring satisfaction to the RSS that some Vice Chancellors, tasked with leading knowledge production, now appear to embrace anti-intellectualism. But for Kerala, this marks a moment of disgrace,” she said.

She also warned against turning universities into ideological training camps for a Hindu Rashtra, asserting that such efforts would be resolutely challenged.

“For having collaborated in the assault on academic freedom, these Vice Chancellors must answer to the academic community. Their actions will not be easily forgotten,” she added.

Bindu concluded by expressing confidence in the resistance of Kerala’s youth and academic circles. “The Sangh Parivar’s delusion that it can erect an army of ignorance in Kerala will be exposed. Enlightened by genuine educators and true knowledge, the people of Kerala will reject and discard such dangerous schemes,” she said.