State universities bankrupt under DMK, says TN BJP chief Nainar

CHENNAI: BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Sunday accused the ruling DMK government of driving the State's universities toward financial bankruptcy, claiming that even prestigious institutions are struggling to meet basic obligations due to acute fund shortages.

Referring to reports that the University of Madras had drawn Rs 95 crore from its corpus fund to disburse pensions after failing to secure adequate government support, Nainar Nagenthran said the revelation was deeply shocking and exposed the gravity of the financial crisis in the prestigious institution and the higher education sector on the whole.

He noted that the historic university has, for years, struggled to appoint sufficient faculty due to a lack of funds, and using the corpus principal, rather than the interest, proves that the institution is left with no other resources for essential expenses.

The BJP leader said the crisis was not isolated. Madurai Kamaraj University and Annamalai University were routinely battling with delayed salaries, pending pensions and cash shortages, forcing professors to protest. He alleged that the situation had now become a never-ending saga under the DMK regime.

Condemning the government for neglecting the basic financial needs of higher education institutions, the Tirunelveli MLA charged that the DMK was endangering students' futures while spending crores of rupees on hollow publicity events projecting Tamil Nadu as a model state in education. He said the government should be "ashamed" of orchestrating grand promotional festivals while universities were struggling for survival.

Nainar Nagenthran further urged the State to immediately allocate adequate funds and restore financial stability to protect the future of students and the credibility of Tamil Nadu's higher education system.