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KOLKATA : An official of the West Bengal government has confirmed that the state is planning to amend a law to remove Governor Jagdeep Dhankar as a ‘visitor’ of private universities in the state. The official also confirmed that a meeting had been held in this regard on Thursday.
The statement comes after the state government on 26 May decided to make Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee the chancellor of state-run varsities, replacing the governor.
The process to remove Jagdeep Dhankar as the ‘visitor’ has already been started within the West Bengal bureaucracy.
"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. In Thursday's Cabinet meeting, there was a discussion on this and the proposal was supported by the members," the official told news agency PTI.
The move comes in the backdrop of Governor Jadgeep Dhankhar's clash with the state government over appointments of vice-chancellors across universities.
Dhankar had earlier alleged that the state government had appointed several Vice-Chancellors without Raj Bhavan's consent.
Dhankhar earlier alleged that vice-chancellors of 24 universities have been "appointed illegally without the chancellor's approval".
After the vice-chancellors of the private universities skipped a meeting called by him in Raj Bhavan in December last year, he had hit out at the ruling dispensation in the state.
Earlier last month, Tamil Nadu had passed a bill empowering the state government to take over the Governor's power of appointing vice-chancellors to universities
Who is a ‘visitor’ to private universities in West Bengal?
As per the West Bengal government's policy and guidelines for setting up private universities, the governor has to be appointed the 'visitor' and he can preside over the convocations.
The 'visitor' also has the power to call for any paper or information relating to the affairs of the universities.
The official said that the government was open to take an ordinance route if the governor does not clear the proposed bill for making the chief minister the chancellor of state-run varsities.
The governor, by virtue of his position, is the chancellor of all state-run universities.