Out-of-sync Tamil Nadu politicians kicking up a row: M K Surappa

CHENNAI: Anna University vice-chancellor M K Surappa has brushed aside political opposition to his appointment, saying politicians who create such controversies are “out of sync with future generations”.
Soon after Surappa, a former director of IIT-Ropar, was named the VC on Thursday, DMK leader Stalin said it was inappropriate to have a person from Karnataka amid a raging Cauvery dispute. PMK leader S Ramadoss took offence to “importing” a person from another state. Actor-politician Kamal Haasan quipped that TN asked for water from Karnataka but got a VC instead.

Surappa, however, is unperturbed. “People have to be educated about such politicians,” he told TOI on Saturday. “This is exactly why we as a country have not been able to perform to our best potential,” he said. The metallurgist with three decades of teaching experience said he would not interfere with the engineering colleges, but ensure they follow all regulations. “I will acquire a working knowledge of Tamil,” he said.