Will not tolerate 'group politics' in educational institutes: Partha

Trinamool Congress will not tolerate any 'group politics' in educational institutes, Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said on Tuesday.

Chatterjee held a meeting with two groups of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) supporters of University of Calcutta. TMCP president Jaya Dutta was also present at the meeting.

"Mamata Banerjee is our only leader and there is no place for groups within the party," Chatterjee said.

The meeting was convened after a series of intra-party clashes over students' union election were reported from there.

In University of Calcutta, clash between two groups of TMCP supporters took place last week. It may be recalled that TMCP had banned a students' union and suspended eight of its members of a college in Malda in December last year.

The students' union of University of Gaur Banga was also banned by the Trinamool Congress after such group clash. Chatterjee sought the report from Vice Chancellor Gopal Chandra Mishra. The union was banned after the Vice Chancellor submitted the report of the incident to the minister.

"We'll not allow any such political clashes inside the university. A strong action will be taken," the minister said on Tuesday.

"I was told that some outsiders have been entering into the campus to create trouble," said the minister.

On Tuesday, Chatterjee clarified that only one Trinamool Chhatra Parishad panel will be allowed to file nomination in the upcoming election. "We'll not allow two panels from Trinamool Congress to stand in the election," he said.

However, a university source said that Chatterjee warned student leaders in presence of TMCP president Jaya Dutta to maintain the peace in the campus. The two groups of students were asked to fix up their candidate of a single TMCP panel. They were asked to do it as quick as possible. The TMCP president was asked to give details of the development to the minister.

However, many university authorities have started the process of framing an inquiry committee to probe the actual reasons of students clash. Surveillance cameras were installed in union rooms. Some of the union rooms were locked by the university authorities.

Some university authority started to check the entry points of the university. The students have to show their identity cards and the people who are coming for other works apart from attending classes, have to face questions by the security guards. Details of their identity were also taken.