# Kerala minister tells VCs to avoid political stands, polarising remarks 2026-08-18T09:02:12+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Kerala Higher Education Minister Roji M John said on Wednesday that Vice-Chancellors of state universities must not take public stands that cause ideological polarisation or attend political functions. He said such actions are inappropriate for the higher education sector. The statement followed Kerala University VC Mohanan Kunnummal’s controversial remarks at an RSS event, where he questioned those who do not say ‘Vande Mataram’. The minister also said VCs should not “whitewash” the Centre’s image over the NEET paper leak. Separately, John condemned an SFI protest at Kalady University against VC Ciza Thomas, calling it “uncivilised.” Police have registered cases and made arrests. John noted that Kunnummal continues as VC due to the previous LDF government. He said the government is not against democratic agitations but expects proper conduct. The SFI protest on August 13 over campus facilities reportedly included an alleged manhandling of the VC. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Shot: In Kerala, Higher Education Minister Roji M John has directed Vice-Chancellors to stay out of political events and polarising statements. The immediate trigger was Kerala University VC Mohanan Kunnummal’s remarks at an RSS event and later a comment some saw as whitewashing the Centre over the NEET paper leak. The minister said VCs must not “whitewash” the Centre’s image, as it makes their own “ugly.” Separately, John condemned an SFI protest at Kalady University, calling it “uncivilised” and noting a woman VC was allegedly manhandled and a coffin made for her. Police have registered cases and made arrests. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral - deccanchronicle.com (neutral report) Leads with the minister's general directive against polarising ideologies, frames the VC's RSS event remark as the cause, neutral tone. - english.mathrubhumi.com (government critical) Leads with minister's accusation that VCs are 'whitewashing' Centre over NEET leak, uses harder language like 'ugly', also quotes minister calling SFI protest 'uncivilised'. This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-20T00:33:47+00:00. Tags: Ciza Thomas, Kerala University, Mohanan Kunnummal, Roji M John, RSS, SFI Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-minister-tells-vcs-to-avoid-political-polarisation/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kerala-minister-tells-vcs-to-avoid-political-polarisation/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/