New Delhi

Vice Chancellors and academicians across the country have written an open letter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with his alleged remarks on the appointment of VCs, accusing him of "resorting to falsehood."

In the letter, it was stated, "It has come to our notice from tweet and open sources of Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader, that the appointment of Vice Chancellors is made solely based on affiliation with some organisation rather than merit and qualification, thereby questioning the merit of the process through which the Vice Chancellors are appointed."

The letter rubbished the alleged claims by Rahul Gandhi, saying, "We categorically and unequivocally discard such claims."

The signatories of over 100 academic professionals, including VCs from top universities across the world and academicians, have been attached along with the letter dated May 5.

It further delved into the appointment process, explaining that the selection is characterised by "stringent, transparent, rigorous procedure." The letter also urged people to abstain from "spreading unfounded rumours."

"The process by which Vice Chancellors are selected is characterised by stringent, transparent rigorous procedure grounded on values of meritocracy, scholarly distinction and integrity. The selection has been completely based on academic and administrative prowess and with a vision to take Universities ahead," it mentioned.

"We strongly urge all individuals involved to exercise discernment in distinguishing fact from fiction, to abstain from spreading unfounded rumours, and to participate in dialogue that is well-informed, constructive, and supportive of our shared goal of creating a dynamic and

inclusive educational environment. We would like to reaffirm our steadfast dedication to the principles of meritocracy, integrity, and excellence within the realm of higher education," it added.

Rubbishing the claims, the letter called them "baseless allegations" and accused Rahul Gandhi of defaming the office of the VCs at large with an "intent to derive political mileage."

"With utmost conviction, the Vice Chancellors of prestigious Universities nationwide and academic leaders, address and refute the baseless allegations that have recently been circulated concerning the selection process," the letter stated.

"In view of the fact that Rahul Gandhi has resorted to falsehood and has defamed the Office of the Vice Chancellors at large with the intent to derive political mileage out of it. It is therefore, earnestly prayed that appropriate action be taken against him forthwith in accordance with law," it added.

Speaking on the open letter and Rahul Gandhi's alleged remarks, Bhagwati Prakash Sharma, Vice Chancellor of Gautam Buddha University, Noida, called it "stupidity" from the Congress leader's part.

"Vice Chancellors of the universities are all highly qualified and will have a professorship of at least 10 years. Most of the VCs in the country are PhD holders, various degree holders and will have various patents to their credit. Despite all this, his claims that

Narendra Modi have made all RSS people VCs, there are many places where there are Congress governments. Did Narendra Modi appoint VCs there too?" he said.

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"VCs are never appointed through the Prime Minister; it is done through UGC's selection process. There are multiple private universities where the government doesn't have any say. So making such allegations on the appointments is stupid," the VC added.