Trinamool, BJP bicker over passing of bill that makes Bengal CM varsity chancellor

Ruling party Trinamool Congress and the Opposition of Bharatiya Janata Party engaged in a war of words over the passing of The West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022. The revised varsity law seeks to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as the chancellor of state universities.

The Trinamool objected to a comment made by Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly over the bill’s fate.

Adhikari had said that the bill (after it was passed) would go to the Governor who would then send it to New Delhi, as the item concerned is on the Concurrent List. Like earlier bills, concerning constitution of a Vidhan Parishad in the state, change of the state’s name, the bill would remain unapproved, he had said.

Reacting to Adhikari’s comments, state’s Women and Child Development minister Dr Shashi Panja stated on Tuesday that the BJP through its comments confirmed that the Governor is under central government’s thumb.

BJP leaders, on the other hand, had raised concerns about the voting process during the passage of the bill. “It was initially declared that 40 MLAs had opposed the Bill. There were 57 BJP-Bengal MLAs present in the House during voting. We decided to move (the) court against this voting process. Afterwards, the media reported that an official of the Assembly admitted that an ‘error’ happened,” Adhikari had tweeted, saying that correction was made subsequently.

Adhikari also alleged that while all other assemblies in the country had electronic voting systems, the chief minister “couldn’t manage (or never intended)” to upgrade the voting system in the state Legislative Assembly.