Education minister Bratya Basu on Tuesday accused Bengal governor C.V. Ananda Bose of pushing universities towards “destruction” by trying to centralise powers.
Basu said that though chief minister Mamata Banerjee had tried holding discussions with Bose, the ex-officio chancellor of state-aided universities, in an attempt to end the impasse on campuses, the chancellor has sought to “insult the chief minister”.
The minister was a guest at the annual convocation of St Xavier’s College, Kolkata.
Speaking on the sidelines of the programme, Basu also advised the officiating vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University to act in accordance with the state government’s directives and orders of the Supreme Court.
“It is crystal clear to the people of the state who is responsible for creating impasse on campuses…. The way an attempt is being made to push the universities towards the path of destruction through centralisation of power is not at all desirable. We cannot allow this,” the education minister said.
“We are soon going to bring this to the attention of the Supreme Court. We want this (impasse) to end soon.”
The officiating VC at JU has been skipping office citing “contradictory orders” from the governor and the government. The governor had removed him from the post and the government had asked him to carry on.
In August 2023, the state government had filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the chancellor’s powers to appoint interim VCs without consulting the state education department. The case is being heard.
Basu spoke about the governor’s role days after Raj Bhavan wrote to VCs that “they are receiving unauthorised instructions” from the education department and “only the chancellor had the power to appoint, re-appoint or temporarily appoint or remove the vice-chancellor”.
The state government has since written to the chancellor’s office that according to the Constitution, the government has some duties and obligations in the matter of administration and management of the state-aided universities.
“The chancellor is seeking to make a distinction between the state government and a department of the state government,” Basu said, referring to the chancellor’s statement that he interacts with the state government and does not respond to a department's communication.
Asked whether he thought the chancellor was unwilling to recognise the education department, he said: “Not only the department, he is not even recognising the office of the chief minister. The chief minister went to him for a discussion following the Supreme Court’s advice. He is not abiding by that. He is seeking to decimate the entire state government and insult the chief minister.”
When the chancellor’s office was contacted for a reaction, it said in an emailed response: “Your mail is received and is being examined.”
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had gone to Raj Bhavan on December 4 and discussed with the governor ways to solve the problems over the appointment of full-term VCs.
Even before further progress could be made towards easing the tension, a fresh confrontation erupted over holding the annual convocation of Jadavpur University on December 24.
After the state government greenlighted the convocation, the chancellor denied permission and removed JU’s officiating VC, Buddhadeb Sau, for daring to go ahead with it.
The education department has since twice told Sau that he may continue as authorised VC. But Sau has been staying away from the office, triggering a deadlock on the campus.
Minister Basu said: “I will tell him (Sau) to act following what the state government and the Supreme Court have said.”