Bengal Guv irked over not being invited to varsity convocation

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday expressed dismay over not being invited to the convocation of a state university though he is its chancellor, drawing a sharp reaction from the TMC government. Dhankhar said though he has the "right to preside" over Friday's convocation of the Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University (CBPBU), he was not invited while many ministers were requested to attend the event.

The university's vice-chancellor said an invitation was supposed to be mailed to the chancellor and he would enquire why it did not reach him. However, the invitation card for the programme, a copy of which is with PTI, did not bear the chancellor's name.

State Higher Education Minister Partha Chatterjee wondered what prompts the governor to keep on lamenting over different issues. "Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University Convocation will be held on Feb 14. Ministers Partha Chatterjee, Goutam Deb, Rabindra Nath Ghosh and Binay Krishna Barman are invited for (sic) the Convocation. Chancellor, who has right to preside, has just no information! Where are we heading!" the governor tweeted.

This is for the third time after the Calcutta University and the Jadavpur University that Dhankhar has not been invited to a convocation programme. "He is our Chancellor, I think an invitation had been mailed to Raj Bhavan. Will find out why it did not reach him," CBPBU Vice-Chancellor Debkumar Mukhopadhyay said.

Former governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had attended the convocation programme of the CBPBU last year. Asked about Dhankhar's comments, Higher Education Minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters, "With all respects to the governor, let me say it is incomprehensible for us to understand what prompts him to keep on lamenting so often over different issues?" BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, however, accused the state government of not giving due respect to the governor, who is the constitutional head of the state.

Dhankhar has had frequent run-ins with the TMC government over a host of issues, since assuming charge as the governor of the state. The state government had recently passed the West Bengal Universities and College (Administration and Regulation) Act under which VCs are required to talk to the higher education department for any important academic issue and not the chancellor.

On several occasions in the past, the governor had expressed unhappiness at the state government's "ill- treatment" to him. Dhankhar, after being stopped from attending the annual convocation of Jadavpur University in December last year, had said "There is policy paralysis. Universities are in captivity and caged by the state government".

He had convened a meeting of vice-chancellors on January 13 following the incident. None of the VCs turned up at the Raj Bhawan for the meeting..