A controversy erupted in Kerala after several university vice-chancellors participated in the “Jnana Sabha,” an event attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, drawing sharp criticism from ministers, student groups, and political leaders, who condemned it as a move to “saffronise” the education sector.
The education summit, held on July 27 and 28 at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Kochi as part of the Jnana Sabha, was organised by the Kerala wing of Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, a body closely affiliated with the RSS.
The event was reportedly attended by Kerala University Vice-Chancellor Mohan Kunnummal, Calicut University Vice-Chancellor Dr. P. Ravindran, Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. K.K. Saju, and KUFOS Vice-Chancellor A. Bijukumar, along with Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.
Kerala’s Higher Education Minister Dr. R. Bindu said that the “Sangh Parivar’s Jnana Sabha” is driven by a “vile agenda” to drag Kerala society, liberated through the pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment, back under “Brahminical dominance.”
“The Sangh Parivar is targeting Kerala with an anti-education stance that would not tolerate any higher education policy aligned with the modern world,” she said.
She alleged that under BJP rule, the RSS is enforcing “regressive policies” aimed at discarding the higher education achievements India has made since independence.
“Their ultimate goal is to create a theocratic Hindu Rashtra rooted in the ideology of Manusmriti,” she said, adding that the attempt to “seize control of universities and intellectual spaces” is part of a broader plan to build an ideological ecosystem that supports this agenda.
Dr. Bindu voiced strong concern over vice-chancellors’ participation, stating that those who should be leading the pursuit of knowledge and academic growth have instead “allowed their intellect to be turned into stables of ignorance.”
While the RSS may take pride in this, she said, “it is a matter of shame for Kerala.”
She warned that “turning inclusive educational institutions into laboratories for Hindutva nation-building is unacceptable under any circumstance.”
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
