West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has come under fire as several laws await his assent in his place as chancellor of state universities.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has come under fire as several laws await his assent in his place as chancellor of state universities.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has announced the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor for Rabindra Bharati University (RBU). Several laws replace him as the chancellor of state-run universities. Awaits his consent.
The West Bengal Assembly earlier this month passed several laws to replace the governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of universities. The development has sparked a new controversy in the state amid strained relations between the Raj Bhavan and the state government.
“The Governor of West Bengal, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar has appointed Dr. Mahua Mukherjee, Professor, Department of Dance, Rabindra Bharati University, as the Chancellor under Section 9(1)(b) of the Rabindra Bharati Act, 1981. Shri Dhankhar tweeted on Thursday.
The governor is the current chancellor of state-run universities and the term of the current RBU vice-chancellor Sabyasachi Basu Roy Chowdhury is about to end soon.
The governor also attached the recommendations of the search committee to his tweet, which in its meeting on June 9 suggested three names, the first being that of Ms. Mukherjee.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the governor announced the new RBU vice-chancellor without taking the state’s education minister and chief minister into confidence.
Mr Ghosh also pointed out that the Governor’s announcement came at a time when his assent to the bills passed by the Assembly was awaited in his place as the Chancellor of the state universities. The Governor has said that he will examine the Bills legally and as per the provisions laid down in the Constitution.