The role of governors as Chancellors of State Universities has been a hot issue between the states and the Union government for a long time. The West Bengal government had passed a bill to replace the Governor and to make the Chief Minister the Chancellor of state universities. Even Tamil Nadu had passed legislation related to the powers of the Governor as Chancellor in appointing Vice Chancellors.
Now, the issue has come to haunt the West Bengal government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as President Droupadi Murmu did not give her assent to the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which had proposed to make Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee the Chancellor of all state universities.
With the President’s disapproval of the Bill, there will be no change in the post of Chancellor in state-run universities in West Bengal. As per the existing system, the Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose is the Chancellor of all state universities.
In 2024, Governor Ananda Bose sent the Bill, which was passed in the West Bengal Assembly, to President Murmu for her consideration.
Why The Bill?
The Governor, by virtue of their office, serves as the Chancellor of the universities as per the Indian Constitution. Any change to this system requires extra caution from a Constitutional perspective.
The West Bengal Cabinet in 2022 had approved a proposal to appoint Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the Chancellor of state universities. The Trinamool Congress-led state government had claimed that academic and administrative activities in these universities would gain momentum if Chief Minister Banerjee were made the Chancellor.
Former Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, during whose tenure the Bill was passed, had alleged that the Trinamool Congress-led state government was unilaterally appointing Vice-Chancellors in various universities without consulting him.
Governors At Odds
In almost all the non-BJP/non-NDA states, the governors have been at odds with the state governments over various reasons. In Tamil Nadu, the DMK has been opposed to the Governor and his powers, alleging delay in clearance to several Bills, interference in the elected government’s functioning, and disputes over appointments to universities. DMK argues this weakens India’s federal structure and the mandate of an elected state government.
Similar issues also took place in Maharashtra when there was a non-NDA government and in West Bengal during Dhankhar’s tenure. The States have been alleging that the Centre is trying to control the state governments via Governors, a charge rejected by the BJP.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
