The Congress and the Left parties are locked in a tussle over the post of UGC chairman. While the Congress is in favour of the present UGC vice-chairman V.N. Rajashekharan Pillai taking over, the Left has declared a war on him, saying ‘‘anybody but Pillai.’’Pillai had run into trouble with the Left in Kerala during his tenure as the vice-chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi University. Left parties are pushing for Deepak Nayyar, former VC of Delhi University.The post is vacant since September 27, when Arun Nigavekar’s term ended. A search committee headed by Justice V N Khare held the first meeting on September 27, and is likely to finalise the appointment next week. The Union HRD ministry had initially considered appointing Pillai as the chairman, without a search committee. Under the UGC statute, a search committee is not mandatory but the Left opposition stalled the move.The Left camp, led by Irfan Habib, has petitioned the ministry and the PM against the appointment of Pillai quoting an inquiry commission that had indicted him for irregularities in a land purchase for the MGU.ICHR chairman Habib, JNU professor Utsa Patnaik, DU professor DN Jha, NCERT’s Arjun Dev and AMU professor Shireen Moosvi wrote to the PM that, ‘‘there have been constant allegations of all kinds of improprieties’’ and ‘‘it is to be regretted that the UPA has also treated with him with the same favour as the preceding government.’’Pillai was appointed UGC chairman once in 1999, but the government withdrew the appointment, following objections from the then Left-led Kerala government. In 2002, he was considered again, but the Left campaign succeeded again. He was appointed UGC vice-chairman in 2003.This time again, the Left is opposing him. CPI leader D. Raja met the Union HRD minister with objections whereas the CPI(M) leadership has communicated its opposition. ‘‘Nayyar is a better candidate. But we have nothing to do with it,’’ a Left camp follower said.The Left petition to the PM, however, concealed the fact the Kerala HC had set aside the commission report and exonerated Pillai of all charges on April 11, 2001. The Kerala HC said the land purchase was upholding another court order.Pillai has formidable supporters in the Congress, including A.K. Antony. Congress sources say Pillai, a chemical scientist who was research professor in the universities of Tubingen, Mainz (Germany) and Lausanne (Switzerland), was a victim of the ‘‘Left conspiracy in Kerala.’’ Appointed by the Congress in 1995 as V-C, his trouble began when the Kerala government changed in 1997. A relative of then education minister in the Left government was rejected for a university posting, and soon a commission of inquiry followed. SFI activists ransacked his office several times, but Pillai did not relent. The HC set aside the commission report.
