Minister asks TMC college-varsity teachers’ body members to be followers of Mamata’s ideology

Kolkata: West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu has asked members of TMC's college-university professors' wing to democratically fight the left and right forces, and become followers of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s ideology.

Addressing a closed-door meeting of West Bengal College and University Professors Association meeting here, Basu also alleged that forces opposed to Banerjee want to disrupt functioning of the higher educational institutions of the state, according to a senior WBCUPA member present.

Basu is also the chairman of Trinamool Congress 'Siksha Cell' which comprises the party's various wings in the education sector such as teaching and non-teaching staff of schools, colleges and universities.

"In the closed-door session attended by 65-70 members of WBCUPA, Basu asked us to counter the narratives of the ‘Shyamaprasad-panthi' (followers of BJP) and ‘Marx-Lenin panthi’ (followers of Karl Marx and Lenin), and become 'Mamata panthi' (followers of Mamata)," the senior member said.

Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"The ideologies propagated by the BJP, CPI(M) and Naxalite elements need to be countered as only the ideology of Mamata Banerjee is ‘manabata-panthi’ (humanist) in approach, Basu said at the meeting,” the member told PTI.

The minister said that the members of the professors’ cell should refrain from making any comment which could be construed against the state's policies.

The minister asked the members to work in their respective workplaces to spread humanism, the WBCUPA member said.

At the meeting held on Sunday, Basu exhorted the members to be more active in their organisational work.

He alleged that concerted efforts are being made to disrupt the functioning of higher education institutes in the state by certain right-wing and ultra-left forces.