Governor's midnight move: Interim Vice-Chancellor appointed after CM's threat

Amidst the escalating tensions between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal and Governor CV Ananda Bose, the Governor took a significant step by appointing an interim vice-chancellor for Kanyashree University, as reported by officials.

This late-night appointment occurred mere hours after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued a stern warning, threatening to withhold funds from state-run universities that complied with the Governor's orders. She also announced that she will hold a sit-in protest outside Raj Bhavan.

A statement released by the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, just fifteen minutes past midnight, announced that Governor CV Ananda Bose, who serves as the chancellor for all state-run universities in West Bengal, had designated Professor Kajal De as the acting Vice-Chancellor of Kanyashree University, located in the Nadia district.

The chief minister's aggressive stance emerged earlier in the day during a government event celebrating Teacher's Day. Banerjee explicitly stated her intentions, saying, "If you interfere with any university or if any university or college takes your order, I will create economic obstructions. Tit for tat. No compromise. Let me see how you pay the salaries of university staff. We never interfere in the education system." This statement came three days after Raj Bhavan had issued a circular emphasizing that university officials were not obliged to follow direct orders from the state government without the knowledge and consent of the vice-chancellor.

The ongoing dispute over the functioning of state-run universities has been a contentious issue between the ruling Trinamool Congress and Raj Bhavan since 2019 when former Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar assumed office.