Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said universities should be allowed “to act as they should be (acting)” and the state government and the chancellor “have very little role” in their affairs.

“As chancellor, what I have seen is that we don’t allow universities to act as they should be. We always put a tag on them to decide who is a greater boss: the state government or the chancellor. I found that all the universities in the state of West Bengal are subject to the statute and there the statute is very clear on what is the role chancellor and what is the role of state government. And I can tell you in matters of the universities, there is very little role of the state government and there is much little role for the chancellor,” said Dhankhar, also the chancellor of all state universities.

He added: “And I have undertaken it on myself that we must operate in our area rather than get into a conflicting scenario who is a bigger boss. Our only role is how can we help improve the education scenario….”

Dhankhar was speaking on “Indian Higher Education: Bridging the Skill Gap” at a conclave organised by the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Hours before, he had mentioned chief minister Mamata Banerjee in a tweet that seemed to be in response to her appeal to vice-chancellors on Tuesday to uphold the autonomy of their institutions and not bow to outside pressure.

“Remember, universities are autonomous institutions. You hold the topmost position of your institutions. Don’t be influenced if there is an external interference…. Don’t bow to any kind of pressure,” the chief minister was quoted as saying.

The governor’s tweet read: “@Mamata official. Making an earnest effort to read between the lines. All my actions as governor and chancellor are as scripted in the constitution.”

The chancellor, however, did not make it clear what he sought to say by “Making an earnest effort to read between the lines”, as he did not take questions after his lecture.

Officials of some universities said Mamata’s instructions to the vice-chancellors were aimed at cautioning them against “uncalled for interference” by the chancellor.

The chief minister had called the VCs for a meeting at Nabanna on Tuesday after the post-Puja meet at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Dhankhar during his visit to Siliguri on September 24 had said only the chancellor, vice-chancellor and the administrative bodies of a university had the right to run its day-to-day affairs and “no one else”.

On Wednesday, Dhankhar said: “As chancellor, I have seen several issues. And if I merit those issues, you will read in next day’s newspapers I am at war with the state government. I am at war with no one because as governor I am servant of the people and to serve them constructively, I have to work in harmony both with the state government and central government.”