Kolkata: Ignoring the alleged threat of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to block the salaries of the vice-chancellors appointed by Governor C V Ananda Bose in the state-run universities, the Raj Bhavan Tuesday night appointed a new interim VC at the Kanyashree University at Krishnanagar (Nadia), official sources said on Wednesday.
The Governor’s latest move happened around 0030 hours, barely a few hours after Banerjee, while addressing a Teachers Day function in the city, allegedly threatened to create an economic blockade for the interim VCs appointed by the Raj Bhavan without the consultation of her ministry concerned.
The Governor on Tuesday night appointed Diamond Harbour Women’s University interim vice-chancellor Kajal Dey to take over as the interim vice-chancellor of the Krishnanagar Kanyashree University in Nadia with immediate effect, a notification signed by C V Ananda said.
Bose on Sunday night appointed as many as 16 interim VCs, including the Presidency University, where the post was vacant, a move that the Mamata Banerjee government supported.
The Raj Bhavan also directed the universities’ administration to obey the VCs orders only as they were appointed by the chief executive officer, (the Governor) who is also the Chancellor of all the state-run universities by virtue of his post.
Defending his action, the governor said the students were having various problems with not getting certificates or any other vital documents in absence of the VCc.
Reacting to the first state education department minister, Bratya Basu after threatening to move the court of law to challenge the governor action for alleged interference with the state administration, the department also dispatched a circular to the education department to ignore the Raj Bhavan directives.
Banerjee on Tuesday attacked Bose charging him with interfering in state administration like appointing VCs without consulting the democratically elected government and alleged holding back all bills passed by the state assembly.
Banerjee, while addressing a function to mark Teachers Day at Dhanadhanna Stadium in the city, pointed out that the governor has been engaged in appointing interim vice-chancellors without consulting the ministry concerned and directed the state-owned universities administration not to hear any directive from any quarter except his appointee VCs.
” This is a direct attack on the state administration by the governor to paralyse the state administration,” Banerjee alleged and threatened to block the salaries of the VCs. She also said if the situation demanded, she would not hesitate to sit on the dharna outside Raj Bhavan.
