Bengal Governor, minister speak in one voice to diffuse differences

Amid indications of strained relations between the West Bengal government and the Raj Bhavan after Governor C V Ananda Bose criticised the government over the attack on Union minister’s convoy, Bose on Tuesday said, “All constitutional authorities should play their roles the way they are envisaged in the Constitution of India.”

His remarks came when he was asked if the administration and the Raj Bhavan are working together, unlike what was observed in the past.

In what appears to be an attempt to diffuse apparent differences between the government and the Raj Bhavan, Governor Bose and Education Minister Bratya Basu jointly addressed a press briefing on Tuesday.

In a release on Sunday, the governor took a firm stand against the attack on the convoy of Union minister Nisith Pramanik and said it was his “duty to ensure that West Bengal does not slip into a ‘soft state’”.

However, the Trinamool mouthpiece Jago Bangla questioned the governor’s statement on Monday and alleged that Bose was attempting to emulate Jagdeep Dhankhar, the past governor.

When questioned about comments made about the governor by a Trinamool MLA and the party’s mouthpiece, Basu defended his party by saying that it is open and not regimented and that people can have different opinions.

He ruled out a recurrence of the situation of the past (when differences existed between the Raj Bhavan and the state government).

“The reason is that sir (governor) seriously believes that he is head of the state, but the chief minister is the administrator, and the elected head of the state. So we will work together. This is a combined effort,” he said, mentioning that the governor in his statement could be talking about the violence in general.

“We will work together under sir’s guidance, chief minister’s visionary leadership and sir’s wisdom,” he added, while speculations about the relations may thrive.

A Raj Bhavan release on Tuesday stated that the governor had held a meeting with Basu on Monday evening at Raj Bhavan concerning problems at the universities. On Tuesday, a meeting was held again, in which the vice-chancellors of six state universities were present.

The governor okayed the formation of a search committee in accordance with the UGC guidelines and the Supreme Court’s directives. This is to select new vice-chancellors. The governor accepted the resignations of the VCs but directed them to continue as caretakers for three months or till new VCs are appointed. Other VCs, who were not present, will also follow the same procedure.

“Education must be treated as a no-conflict zone. Bengal has always been famous for its education and refined culture. That era should be brought back again. The prime minister talked about a self-reliant India. Education will play the biggest role in achieving the goal of a self-reliant India,” Governor Bose said.

Basu said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants universities to function properly. In days to come, the universities, the state government, the Raj Bhavan, and the secretariat can work in sync.