காவிரிப் பிரச்சினை கொளுந்து விட்டு எரிகின்ற நேரத்தில் தமிழகத்தின் தன்மானத்தின் மீது தாக்குதல் நடத்தும் வகையில், சென்னை அண்ணா பல்கலைக்கழக துணை...

DMK working president M.K. Stalin condemned the appointment of Karnataka-native M.K. Surappa as the Vice-Chancellor of Anna University on April 5, 2018, calling it an insensitive assault on Tamil Nadu's self-respect. Stalin highlighted that the Governor's unilateral decision arrived at a highly sensitive time when passions were running exceptionally high across Tamil Nadu over the denial of Cauvery river water rights by neighboring Karnataka and the Centre.

Stalin questioned why eminent professors and researchers native to Tamil Nadu were deliberately sidelined for the premier technical institution's top administrative post. He pointed out that appointing an external administrator completely unfamiliar with local academic conditions, university statutes, and state aspirations demonstrated disregard for the state's educated populace and engineering faculty.

The DMK leader asserted that higher education administration required leaders who commanded the trust and cultural resonance of students, faculty, and research scholars. Stalin urged the Governor to reconsider the controversial decision and respect state sentiment. He warned that appointing outstation candidates without consulting local stakeholders eroded institutional autonomy, pledging that the DMK would defend the educational pride and self-respect of Tamil Nadu.