Bratya Basu criticises Governor over recruitment of V-Cs

Balurghat: Bratya Basu, state Education minister, lodged a complaint against Governor C V Ananda Bose, regarding the recruitment of vice-chancellors (V-C) for different universities, which have been vacant due to retirements.

Basu made the claim while campaigning for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate for the Balurghat Lok Sabha constituency, Biplab Mitra, in Balurghat on Saturday. Basu alleged that although a proposal to form a ‘search committee’ to replace the retired vice-chancellors was submitted to the Raj Bhavan, it was ‘rejected’ by Governor C V Ananda Bose, whom he accused of engaging in political maneuvers.

The conflict between the state government and the Governor over the appointment of vice-chancellors has been ongoing since last year.

In 27 out of the state’s 31 universities, interim vice-chancellors were appointed by the Governor in 2023. After six months of their tenure, the state government challenged the recruitment process in both the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court.

Sources in the Higher Education department revealed that the Supreme Court assigned Union Attorney General R Venkataramani to form a ‘search committee’ to select permanent vice-chancellors, aiming for a compromise between the Raj Bhavan and the state government.

Basu reiterated on Saturday that the terms of the vice-chancellors appointed by the Governor in state universities had expired.

He stated: “A proposal has been made to form a search committee with representatives from the University Grants Commission and the Governor’s office to appoint new vice-chancellors, but the Governor has not responded.”