Will decide on 'Chancellor' bills only after studying them: Dhankhar
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday gave clear indications that the bills to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as Chancellor of different state universities, will not get an easy nod from his end, even after their passage by the Assembly.
IANS
Jun 21, 2022 10:30
0
Kolkata, June 21 (IANS) West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday gave clear indications that the bills to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as Chancellor of different state universities, will not get an easy nod from his end, even after their passage by the Assembly.
"I will observe the contents of the bills purely from the legal and constitutional angle and I will take a decision on them as per provisions of the law. The present state administration has brought the Governor and the Chief Minister on the same row. A bill is being presented in the Assembly to remove me as the Chancellor. I will study the bill minutely. I will not be biased. I will have to see whether the constitutional provisions have been violated in the bill. If that happens, I will not give my consent to the bill," he said.
Although opposition leaders, educationists and members of the civil society had been speaking against the decision to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as the Chancellor of state universities, the Governor himself had been silent so far. This for the first time that he has expressed his views on the bills.
The Governor also launched a scathing attack against the Trinamool Congress government on the recent cases of irregularities in teachers' recruitments at various levels.
"The democratic breathing space in the state had been choked. Never ever before the country has witnessed such large-scale recruitment irregularities. People not figuring in the merit list have been given appointments. The education system in West Bengal is on the verge of destruction. Thousands of eligible youths are deprived of jobs because of this scam. But I have not forgotten my oath to protect democracy and the Constitution," Dhankhar said.
Reacting to the Governor's statement, Trinamool state General Secretary and party spokesman, Kunal Ghosh said that the Governor is speaking like a mouthpiece of the BJP and thus, insulting his own constituional post.
