Kerala government amends rules, 'removes' Arif Mohammad Khan as Chancellor of Kalamandalam deemed university

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], November 10 : Amid its tussle with the state Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, the Kerala government on Thursday decided to remove him as chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam deemed-to-be university.
The Kerala government has amended the rules and regulations of Kerala Kalamandalam deemed to be university "in accordance with the clause of 10.12.9 of UGC regulations 2019" to remove Governor as Chancellor, officials said.
As per the amended rule, the position of Chancellor will now be filled by "an eminent person in the field of Art and Culture appointed by the sponsoring body."
Apart from the pending bills, the LDF government and the state Governor have been at loggerheads over some other issues including the appointment and resignation of vice-chancellors.
CPI-M leader and former Kerala Minister Thomas Isaac had on Wednesday accused the state Governor of "conniving to appoint BJP sympathizers as VCs of Universities".
"This is not acceptable to the people in the State. Therefore, there is no choice before GOK other than remove Governor from the post of Chancellor and appoint eminent academics in his place," he had said in a tweet.
The Governor had earlier taken a dig at CPIM and said it is a party "that believes in the legitimacy of violence".
Union minister and BJP leader V Muraleedharan alleged on Wednesday that Pinarayi Vijayan government in the state was not only running down the state's institutions but also abusing its powers to turn them into the government's propaganda vehicles.
"Hypocrite @pinarayivijayan not only undermining institutions but abusing power to make Kerala's institutions safe heavens for @CPIMKerala," he said in a tweet.