Kannur Vice Chancellor a 'criminal', was part of conspiracy to attack me: Kerala Governor
Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi, Aug 21: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Kannur University's Vice Chancellor (VC) by calling the latter a "criminal".
The Governor accused Vice Chancellor Gopinath Raveendran of being part of the alleged conspiracy to attack the former when he was invited to the varsity amidst the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) agitations in the country.
"He was party to the conspiracy to hurt me physically. He is a criminal. He is sitting as VC because of political reasons. I was invited there by the VC. What was his duty when I was attacked? Was he not supposed to report it to the police? He did not do so," Khan told reporters in the national capital.
He was referring to the alleged heckling he faced when he went to inaugurate the Indian History Congress hosted by Kannur University in December 2019. As the Governor was about to address, most of the delegates assembled for the event rose, voicing their protest against his stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act which was a burning issue then.
He further claimed that the Raj Bhavan back then had asked the VC to send a report of what had transpired on stage, but he did not do so.
"In normal course, I have no business to say anything against any VC. If I have to take action, I can. I have the power. Why should I speak publicly?
"But, I have been forced to speak publicly because this VC has crossed all limits of decency, of academic discipline. He has ruined Kannur University. More than a VC, he is a political cadre... He was behind the conspiracy to attack me at Kannur University," Khan alleged.
The Governor said that he had later received reports from "very high quarters" that people knew that the conspiracy was hatched in Delhi. "He (VC) was part of it," he again claimed.
On what action he would take on returning to Kerala, Khan said, "My only plan is to set the house in order. The position of Kannur University is such."
However, the Governor also said that whatever action he takes would be based on expert legal advice and not to satisfy his personal ego and added that he has always welcomed criticism as it "keeps me careful, straight and law abiding".
There was no immediate reaction from the VC to the allegations by the Governor.
Khan's remarks came as the tussle between the Governor and the ruling CPI(M) escalated further after he, exercising his authority as chancellor, stayed the Kannur University's move to appoint Priya Varghese, wife of former Rajya Sabha MP K K Ragesh, as Malayalam Associate Professor in Kannur University.
The Governor's decision to stay the appointment was welcomed by the Congress with its senior leader and MP K Muraleedharan telling reporters that there have been several instances where senior CPI(M) leaders have used their positions in the party to garner favours and jobs for their near and dear ones and therefore, there should be proper investigation into the issue.
Speaking to reporters, Khan further said, "He has made several other appointments. Why? Because he is not behaving as a VC, he is not behaving as an academic, he is behaving as a party cadre. He has ruined Kannur University and it is my duty to set the house in order. The process has started."
He also gave details of the alleged attack on him at the varsity to substantiate his accusation that the VC was a "criminal".
The Governor said that according to the programme of the event approved by Raj Bhavan and agreed upon by the VC, there was not to be any departure from the programme timings and schedules.
"It was supposed to be 60 minutes. But the VC allowed historian Irfan Habib and others to make speeches for over one-and-a-half hours criticising severely, addressing every question to me. When I stood up to answer the questions, within five minutes, a physical attack attempt was made on me.
"The shirt of my ADC, Manoj Yadav, was torn and twice they made attempts on me. It was only because of the security that they could not reach me," he said.
The Governor, after the 2019 alleged heckling incident, had accused Habib of trying to disrupt his inaugural address at the Indian History Congress.
This kind of behaviour indicates an "intolerance" towards a different opinion and was "undemocratic", he had said back then.
Khan, on Sunday, said that while heckling of the Prime Minister or other political leaders was not an offence, such actions towards the President or Governor was a crime under the Indian Penal Code punishable with imprisonment for up to seven years.
"What was the duty of the man who had invited me there, I ask you? Is he an ignorant man? Is he an illiterate man? Does he not know about the provisions of IPC? Was it not his duty to report it to the police?
"Even when the Raj Bhavan asked him to send the report of what he saw on stage, he refused to send it. He is a criminal. He was party to the conspiracy to hurt me physically. That is why I am using such strong language," he said.
Khan further said that whatever steps he takes, he would follow the due process of law and "will not allow anger to overcome me".
"I do not take action in a hurried manner. I give a long rope first," he added.
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Rs 30,000 cr loss a month: Oil companies bleed as fuel prices on hold amid global energy spike
New Delhi (PTI): About Rs 700-1,000 crore loss per day. Rs 30,000 crore every month. India's state oil companies are quietly absorbing a massive financial hit to keep petrol, diesel and LPG prices unchanged even as global energy markets face a turmoil that is bigger than all previous crises combined.
While countries from Japan to United Kingdom have raised petrol and diesel prices by up to 30 per cent since the start of the West Asia conflict, fuel prices in India continue at two-year-old levels.
The war disrupted India's import of 40 per cent of crude oil (raw material for making petrol and diesel), 90 per cent cooking gas LPG and 65 per cent natural gas (used to generate electricity, make fertilizer, turned into CNG and piped to household kitchens for cooking), but state-owned oil companies have maintained uninterrupted fuel supplies with no rationing or shortage at any point in the last 10 weeks.
But this has come at a cost - Rs 30,000 crore under-recovery or loss every month for the three oil marketing companies - Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.
The under-recoveries - the gap between input costs and realised retail prices - rose sharply in March/April before tapering a bit. Daily under-recoveries during April were estimated at about Rs 18 per litre on petrol and Rs 25 per litre on diesel, translating into average losses of Rs 700-1,000 crore a day for OMCs, they said.
At a news briefing on developments in West Asia, Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said prices in the international markets, on which India relies to meet 88 per cent of its oil needs, have been volatile and supplies impacted.
Crude oil prices which were around USD 70 per barrel two months ago, are now at USD 120, she said. "It has been government's endeavour to keep prices stable so far and that there is no price increase for consumers," she said. "This has hit finances of OMCs... monthly under-recoveries are of the order of Rs 30,000 crore."
She, however, refused to say if retail petrol and diesel prices will continue to hold.
"As I said, the endeavour so far has been to see that there is no price increase," she said.
The three oil marketing companies (OMCs) have worked overtime to keep the supply lines running even when demand spiked due to panic buying.
The government intervention included excise duty reductions and absorption of part of the fuel cost burden. The special additional excise duty on petrol was cut to Rs 3 per litre from Rs 13, while excise duty on diesel was reduced to zero from Rs 10 per litre.
The under-recoveries would have swelled to nearly Rs 62,500 crore had the government not cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre each.
The government, Sharma said, has taken a hit of Rs 14,000 crore a month in cutting the excise duty.
The Centre's effective absorption at peak crude prices was estimated at around Rs 24 per litre for petrol and Rs 30 per litre for diesel.
The February 28 strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran triggered a sharp escalation in West Asia tensions. Energy prices surged as the conflict widened and shipping risks intensified in the Strait of Hormuz - the shipping lane through which India and other countries imported crude oil, LPG and natural gas from Gulf countries. Tanker movement was disrupted.
The companies also faced additional costs from emergency crude sourcing, higher freight charges due to vessel diversions, elevated marine insurance premiums and refinery optimisation expenses. Despite these pressures, fuel and LPG supplies remained uninterrupted across the country.
The surge in crude prices and the decision to shield consumers from higher retail prices placed significant strain on OMC balance sheets and refining margins, sources said.
They added that the measures reflected a policy decision to prioritise consumer stability and economic continuity during a global energy shock.
Sources warned that a prolonged period of elevated crude prices could lead to higher working capital borrowings and force some recalibration of capital expenditure plans. However, investments linked to refining expansion, energy security infrastructure, ethanol blending, biofuels and transition fuels would continue with government backing, they said.
India's approach contrasted with measures adopted by several other economies, where fuel prices rose sharply after the conflict-driven energy shock.
Petrol prices increased by about 34 per cent in Spain, 30 per cent in Japan, Italy and Israel, 27 per cent in Germany and 22 per cent in the United Kingdom, according to estimates. Several countries also introduced rationing, conservation advisories, emergency relief packages or fuel caps.
In India, petrol prices remained Rs 94.77 per litre and diesel at Rs 87.67, with no rationing, mobility restrictions or supply disruptions, they added.
Sharma said the revenues that OMCs earn are used to buy crude oil, build infrastructure to process it into fuel and create channels that will take the fuel to consumers.
Their capex spending is all dependent on the revenues they earn, she added.
