After the West Bengal cabinet’s decision to make Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee the chancellor of state-run varsities, replacing the governor, now the government is planning
to amend the law to remove Jagdeep Dhankhar as ‘visitor’ of private universities in the state and appoint the education minister in his place.
According to sources, the issue was discussed at a cabinet meeting last Thursday. There is a proposal for altering the law so that the governor can be replaced by the education minister as the ‘visitor’ of private varsities. The proposal was supported by the members, sources said.
According to sources, the state government is considering amending the law. The Private University Act was made in 2014, according to which a person in the position of a visitor can summon all the information related to the private university concerned. If the convocation ceremony of the university is organized, the visitor will also have to give information about it.
BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya sharply criticized the state government and said: “Extreme anarchy is going on in Bengal. The Trinamool can also acquire Raj Bhavan.”
CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty said: “As a result of this decision, the status of Bengal is being tarnished in the eyes of the whole country.”
However, Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Shantanu Sen has retaliated against the opposition. He “Opponents are talking like half-educated people knowing everything. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be the Acharya of Visva-Bharati, then why can’t the Chief Minister be the Acharya of the University? Only those who have value can be insulted. The governor does not have that. So, there is no question of insult.”