Row over Karnataka CM’s “ill-treatment” of lady vice chancellor

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has incurred the wrath of women’s organizations in the State for publicly pulling up the lady vice chancellor of Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) K Sudha Rao during his recent visit to Mysore

The murmurs of protest against the “ill-treatment” meted out to KSOU vice chancellor Sudha Rao by the Chief Minister have begun to snowball into a major controversy with women’s organizations taking to the streets over the issue and opposition parties mounting a fresh offensive against the Government.

Kumaraswamy, who made an unscheduled stop at KSOU campus in Mysore last Sunday, summoned the vice chancellor from home, and gave her a piece of his mind for holding up the regularization of more than 200 temporary employees of the University. Though the vice chancellor expressed her helplessness in the regard, Kumaraswamy was unwilling to buy the argument and directed the employees to report to work.

To top it, Kumaraswamy also asked the temporary employees to lock up the office of the vice chancellor if they were prevented from entering the KSOU premises. Before leaving the venue, the Chief Minister is understood to have issued a fiat to the police to withdraw security to the vice chancellor.

Taking serious exception to Kumaraswamy’s “boorish” behaviour, several women gathered in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Mysore under the banner of Samata Vedike and condemned the Chief Minister for his “intemperate” behaviour with a lady vice chancellor.

A host of other organizations including Karnataka State Backward Classes Welfare Forum, Dalith Sangharsha Samithi and Karnataka State Vishwakarma Welfare Forum too have lent their support to the lady vice chancellor. The organizations have cried foul over the Chief Minister’s “brazen” attempt to regularize “backdoor” appointments, which had been declared as “illegal” by the Karnataka High Court.

Meanwhile, women’s self help groups in Hebbal have called upon women MLAs to raise their voice against the Chief Minister for showing “disrespect” to a lady vice chancellor with impeccable academic record.

The episode has come in handy for the Opposition Congress leaders to pin down the Government on its perceived gender discrimination. Kumaraswamy, who does not have a single women representative in the coalition JD (S)-BJP Ministry, had to take a mouthful from the Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Council H K Patil.

On her part, Sudha Rao submitted a report on the episode to Governor T N Chaturvedi, who is also the Chancellor of the University. Speaking to reporters, Sudha Rao said the Governor found the development as “unfortunate”.

Karnataka’s Minister for Higher Education D H Shankarmurthy told reporters that he would speak to the Chief Minister and resolve the matter.