West Bengal Governor's Jibe: "Will Consider Universities Bills When..."

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar Tuesday said that he will consider bills passed in the Assembly to replace the governor with the chief minister as chancellor of the state universities when they are placed before him without any "bias or prejudice".

Mr Dhankhar claimed that the legislations were brought and passed to divert the people's attention after the Calcutta High Court found illegalities in the recruitment of teachers in state government sponsored and aided schools.

"I will consider these bills legally and according to the Constitution education is in the concurrent list," he told the media at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata.

The governor said that he will consider these bills "without any rancour, anger, bias or prejudice" and in the perspective of University Grants Commission Act after taking note of Supreme Court decisions.

"I will act 100 percent in accordance with the law," he said.

The concurrent list consists of subjects of common interest to both the Union and the States. Both the Parliament and the state legislatures can make laws on the subjects included in this list but in case of a conflict between the Union and the State law relating to the same subject, the Union law prevails over the state law. It includes a subject like education.

Bills have been passed in the state Assembly in the ongoing monsoon session to replace the governor with the chief minister as chancellor in state universities and the education minister as reader of private universities.

Mr Dhankhar said that opposition BJP MLAs who met him at the Raj Bhavan during the day had told him that the objective of the Trinamool Congress government is to create a new post that will make the same person chief minister and governor of West Bengal.

"This can't happen. We are a society governed by law. Your governor is a servant of the Indian Constitution and of the people of West Bengal," he said.

The governor, who has shared an acrimonious relation with the Trinamool Congress government since he assumed office in July 2019, said that the state government not adopting the Centre's New Education Policy is "destroying the education and future of students of Bengal."

He also criticised the Mamata Banerjee dispensation and said that it is a matter of concern that the government is not taking steps to curb violence in the state.

"As governor of West Bengal I am concerned that our state has seen violence of a very severe category, which is not seen anywhere else ... The post-poll violence is a stigma on the state," he said.

Protests were held at some places in West Bengal over controversial comments made by suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Instances of violence have been reported at places in Howrah district.

Mr Dhankhar said those who destroy public property are not "true Indians" and he has cautioned the bureaucracy and police to take steps. He claimed that careers of thousands of youths have been affected due to "corruption and illegalities" in the recruitment of teachers in the state.

"Skeletons are coming out of the cupboards ... The country has not seen such kind of scam in recruitment," he said.

He tweeted, "Opposition MLAs delegation BJPBengal led by Shri Suvendu, LOP West Bengal assembly, called on Hon'ble Governor Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar at Raj Bhavan today & submitted representation. Governor assured the delegation to look into and act in accordance with the Constitution."

The Calcutta High Court has ordered CBI investigations into allegations of illegalities in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in primary and secondary schools sponsored or aided by the state government.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)