Express News Service
KOLKATA: The face-off between the West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and the state government intensified on Sunday after the former flayed the state cabinet’s approval to replace him with CM Mamata Banerjee as the chancellor of state universities. Dhankhar said the new move was a “ploy” to generate media optics and “divert attention” from the pressing problems in the state.
“The proposal and approval of the cabinet is nothing but a ploy to divert attention from the pressing problems of the state. I am not concerned about what the government does unless the papers reach me. When the papers will be placed before me, I will take a call according to constitutional provisions,” said Dhankhar.
The Bengal cabinet on May 26 approved a proposal to appoint Mamata as the chancellor of state-run universities. Sources in the cabinet said a Bill to amend the change will be placed in the floor of the state Assembly before sending it to the governor and if the governor does not give a nod, the government will implement the change through an ordinance.
Hinting at the options before him, Dhankhar said: “A Bill becomes an Act only when governor signs on it. An ordinance is also issued when the governor gives consent.” Dhankhar also accused TMC’s general secretary Abhishek Banerjee of “crossing the red line” by criticising the judiciary for ordering CBI probe into various cases.
The state government is likely to place another Bill in the Assembly to replace the governor as the visitor of private universities with the education minister. Referring to it, Dhankhar said, “VCs of public institutions and chancellors of private universities have created a union. I have constituted a committee to investigate their affairs.”
