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.”
Those who collaborated in this effort to “strangle academic freedom and free thought in saffron chains,” she asserted, will have to “hang their heads in shame before the academic community for years to come.”
Dr. Bindu declared that Kerala’s youth and academic community “will expose the Sangh Parivar’s regressive dream of building an army of ignorance.”
The enlightened people of Kerala, “educated by genuine teachers,” she said, will “discard the Sangh’s dark plans, ones that treat ignorance as virtue, into the dustbin of history.”
Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty called it a “deeply concerning attempt to saffronise education, just like implementing the National Education Policy.”
“Education must be accessible and secular for everyone,” Sivankutty said, warning that “any effort to bring the education sector under a specific ideological or political grip will not be accepted under any circumstance.”
He further stated that such moves are aimed at “distorting educational policies to serve sectarian interests,” and asserted that “universities should remain independent and neutral spaces focused on academic excellence and research, not centres for political engineering.”
Reaffirming the Kerala government’s position, Sivankutty said, “We are committed to protecting the integrity of our public and higher education systems, in line with constitutional values and democratic principles.”
“Kerala’s society will stand firm against such communalisation efforts and safeguard the secular nature of our education sector,” he said.
The minister’s statements came after several student organisations in Kerala criticised the government’s silence, accusing it of tacitly approving the event, which they described as an attempt to “appease the RSS by satisfying the Governor.”
They alleged that by not barring the vice-chancellors from attending, the minister was merely justifying their participation.
The Muslim Students Federation (MSF) strongly criticised the participation, stating that “Kerala’s education system need not stoop to receive ‘jnana’ from the RSS,” and warned that “a government that remains silent is effectively complicit.”
Earlier, KSU (Kerala Students Union), student wing of the Indian National Congress, State President Aloysius Xavier also strongly opposed the participation, stating that their involvement is an attempt to destroy the secular educational atmosphere of the state.
“Vice-chancellors don’t receive their salaries from the RSS headquarters in Nagpur,” Xavier remarked, criticizing their alignment with the RSS agenda.
“Mohan Bhagwat is neither the Governor, nor the Higher Education Minister, nor the UGC Chairman. Let him discuss education with RSS workers if he wants. Why should vice-chancellors be required to attend?” he asked.
Xavier warned that if vice-chancellors go ahead with attending the event, the KSU will hold them publicly accountable. “We will organise protests across campuses in the state against these VCs,” he said.
SFI, in a statement, said the vice-chancellors “have proven themselves unfit to continue in their posts by attending an event directly overseen by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.”
Terming the “Jnana Sabha” as “not a mere seminar,” they asserted that it was “part of a larger training programme to impose an RSS-imagined education system, one that subverts Kerala’s humanistic, inclusive academic ethos and replaces it with the Sangh Parivar’s communal agenda.”
They noted that VCs, “handpicked by the Governor, are preparing to act as tools for Hindutva infiltration into universities,” and condemned them as “a disgrace to Kerala’s academic community.”
Earlier, the Fraternity Movement Kerala expressed strong concern over reports that vice-chancellors would attend the RSS-led event, warning that “the Sangh Parivar’s attempts to saffronise not just universities but the entire education sector will be firmly resisted.”
Recently, tensions between the Kerala government and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar have intensified over allegations of “saffronisation” in the state’s higher education system, with the Governor accused of pushing RSS-linked agendas in universities.
Earlier in July, the University of Kerala registrar was suspended after an event, attended by the Governor, was cancelled due to objections raised over a Bharat Mata portrait featuring a saffron flag in the university hall.
Following the incident, Vice Chancellor Mohan Kunnummal submitted a report to the Raj Bhavan, claiming the cancellation insulted the Governor and alleging that the registrar acted under external pressure, indicating his alignment with the Raj Bhavan’s pro-RSS stance.
