The unfortunate incident, that I'm gonna narrate, had crystallised from the CPM's angst towards the Global Education Meet that had begun at Kovalam today. Therefore, it's necessary to understand what the 'Meet' was all about.
What's Global Education Meet(GEM)?
The GEM is expected to help the government to give an impetus to set up a proposed Academic City and Academic Zones where leading institutions from across the world would offer high-end courses to students. Higher education centers, with a minimum of 200 acres of land and proven track record in the field, will be eligible for setting up the zones. The FICCI is one of the active participants of the Meet. More than 20 educational experts from Australia, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, the UAE, the UK and the US are participating. About 50 national delegates and 75 scholars from the state are participating in the brain storming sessions at the Meet, taking place today and tomorrow.
And the cons.
The CPM and several left leaning student-teacher organisations have voiced dissent about the Meet. Their opinion is that the GEM's agenda will erode all the positive values in the sector. Moreover, they charge that it's a sinister plan to hand over the education sector to the foreign corporates, likening the proposed Academic Zones to the Special Export Processing Zones!
The Fracas.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and the Education Minister, stayed away from the Meet due to the turbulent political situation prevalent in the state. Mr. TP Srinivasan, a former Ambassador and the Vice Chairman of the State Higher Education Council was manhandled by the SFI goons outside the venue of the Meet. He was badly mauled with the police, under DCP Sanjay Kumar Gurudin, becoming mute spectators without lending a helping hand. And then came the unkindest cut - the SFI's district vice president, JS Sarath approached him from behind and slapped him, the force of which threw the former diplomat to the ground.
Pinarayi Vijayan, a CPM Leader, who's currently involved in the 'Nava Kerala March' from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram tells the media, "TP Srinivasan is a foreign agent and not an educationist", justifying the fracas.
As a Malayalee and a common man, I feel sad at today's happenings and have the following questions/statements to the perpetrators of this mindless fracas:-
(a) How does a leader, aspiring to be the state's chief minister, justify brutal suppression of a
view that is different from that of his party's?
(b) He's giving himself an image makeover but such statements, belittling the others, can only
go against him as has happened in the past.
(c) When you don't like people to say that you're corrupt or say anything against you, how do
you make bizarre and baseless charges on a government functionary? Is it because you're
sure about the fact that he doesn't have goons around him, euphemistically termed by you and
all other political leaders as 'committed party workers'? This is what cowardice is all about!
(d) And Sarath, here are two questions and a statement for you:-
(i) Do you beat up your elders at home when they don't subscribe to your point of view?
(ii) Who's taught you this cowardly act of beating people from behind?
(iii) You're a blot to the Malayalee youth!
And the police picket that was there, shame on you for letting such a thing happen and more shame for not helping a helpless gentleman who was the victim of an assault! DCP Sanjay Kumar Gurudin, you need to search deep within yourself as to whether you're worthy of wearing that uniform.
Tailpiece.
Apologies, Srinivasan sir. I hang my head in shame for today's treatment meted out to you.
What's Global Education Meet(GEM)?
The GEM is expected to help the government to give an impetus to set up a proposed Academic City and Academic Zones where leading institutions from across the world would offer high-end courses to students. Higher education centers, with a minimum of 200 acres of land and proven track record in the field, will be eligible for setting up the zones. The FICCI is one of the active participants of the Meet. More than 20 educational experts from Australia, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, the UAE, the UK and the US are participating. About 50 national delegates and 75 scholars from the state are participating in the brain storming sessions at the Meet, taking place today and tomorrow.
And the cons.
The CPM and several left leaning student-teacher organisations have voiced dissent about the Meet. Their opinion is that the GEM's agenda will erode all the positive values in the sector. Moreover, they charge that it's a sinister plan to hand over the education sector to the foreign corporates, likening the proposed Academic Zones to the Special Export Processing Zones!
The Fracas.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and the Education Minister, stayed away from the Meet due to the turbulent political situation prevalent in the state. Mr. TP Srinivasan, a former Ambassador and the Vice Chairman of the State Higher Education Council was manhandled by the SFI goons outside the venue of the Meet. He was badly mauled with the police, under DCP Sanjay Kumar Gurudin, becoming mute spectators without lending a helping hand. And then came the unkindest cut - the SFI's district vice president, JS Sarath approached him from behind and slapped him, the force of which threw the former diplomat to the ground.
Pinarayi Vijayan, a CPM Leader, who's currently involved in the 'Nava Kerala March' from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram tells the media, "TP Srinivasan is a foreign agent and not an educationist", justifying the fracas.
As a Malayalee and a common man, I feel sad at today's happenings and have the following questions/statements to the perpetrators of this mindless fracas:-
(a) How does a leader, aspiring to be the state's chief minister, justify brutal suppression of a
view that is different from that of his party's?
(b) He's giving himself an image makeover but such statements, belittling the others, can only
go against him as has happened in the past.
(c) When you don't like people to say that you're corrupt or say anything against you, how do
you make bizarre and baseless charges on a government functionary? Is it because you're
sure about the fact that he doesn't have goons around him, euphemistically termed by you and
all other political leaders as 'committed party workers'? This is what cowardice is all about!
(d) And Sarath, here are two questions and a statement for you:-
(i) Do you beat up your elders at home when they don't subscribe to your point of view?
(ii) Who's taught you this cowardly act of beating people from behind?
(iii) You're a blot to the Malayalee youth!
And the police picket that was there, shame on you for letting such a thing happen and more shame for not helping a helpless gentleman who was the victim of an assault! DCP Sanjay Kumar Gurudin, you need to search deep within yourself as to whether you're worthy of wearing that uniform.
Tailpiece.
Apologies, Srinivasan sir. I hang my head in shame for today's treatment meted out to you.
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