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In the midst of an escalating conflict with West Bengal’s Education Minister, Bratya Basu, Governor CV Ananda Bose has issued a warning of imminent “bigger action” at midnight. This comes in the wake of accusations from Minister Basu, who accused the governor of attempting to undermine the state’s higher education system and running a “puppet regime” within universities.
As the clock approached midnight, a Raj Bhavan official revealed that Governor Bose had “signed two confidential sealed letters.” These letters, one intended for the state secretariat, Nabanna, and the other for the Central government, contain undisclosed content. The official hinted that the letters may pertain to the recent verbal clash between the governor and the state government.
Governor Bose signed these letters shortly after a comprehensive meeting with Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi at Raj Bhavan. However, the subject of their discussion remains undisclosed by both the state government and Raj Bhavan.
Earlier in the day, Governor Bose had cryptically warned of “much bigger action” at midnight in response to the Education Minister’s harsh criticisms and attacks. In response to this comment, Minister Basu indirectly referred to the governor as the “new vampire in town” and cautioned the public to “beware of him.”
The ongoing feud between the West Bengal government and the Raj Bhavan revolves around the appointment of interim vice-chancellors in universities. Minister Basu accused the governor, who serves as the chancellor of state-run universities, of attempting to dismantle the higher education system by appointing individuals arbitrarily to satisfy personal interests.
The West Bengal Educationists’ Forum described Governor Bose’s mention of midnight action as “threats” and expressed concern over his intentions.
The governor recently appointed interim vice-chancellors for eight universities, including prestigious institutions like Presidency University, MAKAUT, and the University of Burdwan. This move was met with strong criticism from the Chief Minister, who saw it as an attempt to interfere with the administration of state-run universities. Additionally, appointment letters for interim vice-chancellors for eight other universities are reportedly in the process of being issued.
