Sri Vijaya Puram, Feb 25: Communist Party of India (Marxist) has reiterated its stand that the central government should accept the demand of the college students in A & N Islands to have continued affiliation of all the seven Colleges in A & N Islands with the Pondicherry University instead of the newly established Deemed University. During the meeting an All Party Delegation had with the Chief Secretary, A & N Administration today (25.02.2026) at Port Blair, D. Ayyappan, CPI (M) State Secretary requested the Chief Secretary to take up the issue with the Govt of India to keep in abeyance the decision to disaffiliate the Colleges with the Deemed University. The Chief Secretary expressed his inability to intervene in the issue as the decision to affiliate the colleges with the newly established Deemed University was taken by the Govt of India.
Later in the evening, while addressing a public meeting organized by the Joint Action Forum of students, political parties and various orgnaisations at Tiranga Park, Aberdeen, Port Blair, D. Ayyappan said that as per the Constitutional scheme, the administration of the union territories without legislature are carried out by the Administrators and officers appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Every decision taken by the Lt Governor and officers in the islands is in accordance with the policies of the central government. He said that it was the BJP-led government which had established the Deemed University for A&N Islands and affiliated all the existing colleges under it after disaffiliating these colleges from Pondicherry University. He demanded that the central government should talk to the agitating students in the islands and find a solution to the issue.
The college students in the islands belonging to ABVP, NSUI and SFI are jointly conducting the agitation for the last three weeks. The BJP which has been supporting the establishment of Deemed University and disaffiliating the colleges from the Pondicherry University, stands exposed as a few of its leaders have quit the party while the entire islands went on a complete hartal on 16th February, 2026 in support of the agitation of the students.