Thomas Isaac questions Ciza Thomas’s credentials as V-C; she says her qualifications are open to scrutiny

CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B Communist Party of India (Marxist) Central Committee member and former Keralam Finance Minister T. M. Thomas Isaac has alleged that Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University Ciza Thomas “lacked the credentials” to occupy the post.In a Facebook post, Mr. Isaac alleged that her “only credential is that she has been appointed by the Sangh Parivar.”Mr. Isaac wrote that she did not have a single patent. Though she claimed to have written eight books, she was only the co-editor of seven books, which were compilations of essays penned by others. These seven books were published by an open-access book publisher that could not match the credentials of mainstream publishers, he alleged.Mr. Isaac alleged that Dr. Thomas, who holds additional charge as V-C of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS), “does not know even the basics of the Sanskrit language.” He accused her of “being a tool in attempts to saffronise the State’s higher education sector.”“We will join the students (agitating against their suspension at SSUS) as she needs to realise the strength of the student-led protests, including the Jantar Mantar agitation,” he said.Ciza Thomas’s responseDr. Thomas said the selection of V-Cs for both APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and Digital University of Kerala was conducted during the previous Left front government.“Those criticising my credentials need to answer why noted academicians from institutions such as the IITs did not turn up for the interviews held to select V-Cs for both these institutions. They may have stayed away in view of the political wrangling on our campuses,” she said.She said “anybody can audit” her credentials as she had “never made any claims.”“We all need to tell the students to adopt a course correction if they have made some mistakes. As elders, we must refrain from saying that there is no need to accept their mistakes, as it conveys a wrong message to society,” she said. Published - November 11, 2026 02:46 pm IST