VC scam: Left parties seek probe into Purohit’s corruption charges

CHENNAI: Left parties on Saturday sought a probe into the corruption charges levelled by Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit in appointments of vice-chancellors during his tenure in Tamil Nadu.

Purohit alleged that VC posts were sold for Rs 40-50 crore. He said that he had appointed 27 VCs following the rules. He was Tamil Nadu Governor from October 2017 to September 2021 when the AIADMK was in power.

In a statement, CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan said considering Purohit’s accusation, there is a possibility of corruption to the tune of Rs 1500 crore only in the appointment of vice-chancellors and there was also a possibility of a massive scam involving hundreds of crore in the teachers’ appointment too.

“The state government should immediately carry out a complete and comprehensive investigation into the allegations of corruption in the appointments of the VCs and the question naturally arises as to why Banwarilal Purohit, who has now publicly stated that such irregularities have taken place, did not prevent it when he was the Governor, ” he said.

CPI state secretary R Mutharasan said that the state government should conduct a probe and dismiss the vice-chancellors who got appointments paying bribes. “All those involved in the scam should be punished. The state government should ensure transparency in the appointments of the vice-chancellors,” he demanded.