MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who became popular in the eighties for addressing the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as ‘Mr. Rajiv Gandhi’, repeated his act more than three decades late by addressing Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit as ‘Mr. Purohit’ while issuing a stern warning to the latter on the issue of appointing vice-chancellors at Universities in the State.

Surya Narayana Shastri, an RSS 'pracharak' with BJP leanings, has been appointed by Purohit as the new vice-chancellor of Dr. Ambedkar Law University; this has clearly no gone down well with political parties in Tamil Nadu who have gone up in protest against appointing a ‘BJP man’ to head an University in the name of ‘Father of Indian Constitution’ Dr. Ambedkar.

Address a public meeting yesterday, Vaiko ridiculed the Governor by acting like a purohit (priest).  “How would we accept someone, who had spoken ill of Tamil language in the past, as the vice-chancellor of Dr. Ambedkar Law University?  We haven’t forgotten that Shastri was once sent out of the State by Karunanidhi; anyway, what is the need to appoint a Telugu as the vice-chancellor of a University in Tamil Nadu?

“Why did ‘Mr. Purohit’ set aside the nominations of three persons made by the selection committee and choose a RSS man for the post?  What does he think of Tamil Nadu; it’s time for Mr. Purohit to behave cautiously,” Vaiko concluded his speech.