The West Bengal cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to replace the governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of state-run universities. State Education Minister B. Basu, while addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting, said that the proposal would soon be introduced as a bill in the state assembly.
Governor J. Dhan Khar, who has shared acrimonious relationship with the state government since taking charge in Bengal, is yet to react to the development.
The proposal will soon be introduced as a Bill in the Assembly, and then it will be made a law, – Mr. Basu said. Today, the state cabinet gave its consent to the proposal to replace the governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of all state-run universities.
The governor, by virtue of his office, is the chancellor of all state-run universities in the state. Mr Dhan Khar had recently locked up with the state government over the appointment of vice-chancellors of state universities, among other issues.
He had expressed his inability to attend the meeting citing the CORONA-19 situation. Mr Dhan Khar had faced a similar situation in January 2020 when vice-chancellors of state-run universities were invited for a meeting.
Meanwhile, condemning the cabinet move, BJP national secretary A.K. Hazera claimed that the 14th-century Delhi Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq – often referred to as a tyrannical king – would have felt insecure if he had seen the situation in Bengal.
He had alleged that “Vice-Chancellors of 24 universities have been appointed illegally without the approval of the Chancellor”. In December last year, the governor had expressed displeasure over not attending the meeting called by the vice chancellors and vice chancellors of private universities at his residence.
Today, the state cabinet decided that the chief minister will be the chancellor of state-run universities. Thereafter, it may also be decided that the chief minister should be addressed as the prime minister of the state, – said BJP national secretary A. Hazera. CPI(M) central committee member S Chakraborty also echoed the decision. rejected as a (reflection of an authoritarian mindset) that seeks to control every lever of power.
1) Some described the move as a violation of the autonomy of educational institutions, while others said it would lead to better coordination between university heads and the government.
2) Trying to make him chancellor is nothing but a political move. It can only spoil the academic environment in the institutions, – Mr Mukhopadhyay said.
3) The former principal of Presidency College (before becoming a university) A. Mukhopadhyay said the decision was “unnecessary” and would only lead to “erosion of the autonomous status of the higher educational institution”.
4) Educationist P. Sarkar said that the governor has been performing the responsibilities of chancellor in this state for centuries, and “now the West Bengal cabinet has decided to reverse it. We do not know the reason behind such a move. Will it help improve the academic environment?” he wondered.
5) Everyone knows that the Chief Minister is concerned about the educational development in West Bengal. It would be in the fitness of things to have someone holding a handle on day-to-day affairs on campus. Noted historian and Indologist N.P. Bhaduri, however, welcomed the decision.
