CU Convocation Will Be Held Without Governor, if Necessary: West Bengal's Minister Partha Chatterjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee has said that if necessary, the upcoming Calcutta University convocation will be held without Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as he has "consistently" made statements targeting the state government.

However, the higher education minister said the final decision will be taken by the varsity as it is an autonomous body. The Calcutta University convocation is scheduled to be held on January 28.

The higher education department would not have, in usual situations, thought about not inviting the governor, who is the chancellor of state universities, from a programme like a convocation, Chatterjee told reporters on side lines of an event here on Monday evening.

"But, the way he has been consistently making controversial comments targeting every move of the state through his tweets does not befit his stature as governor...Hence, we may have to opt for such a step (like not inviting him to the convocation) finally," the minister said when asked whether Dhankar would be present at the convocation.

Chatterjee said the final decision, however, will have to be taken by the university concerned as it is an autonomous institution. "We won't interfere in what they do. Let us see," he said.

On Monday, a meeting called by Dhankhar to discuss the situation in different state universities with vice chancellors and the higher education secretary could not be held at the Raj Bhavan as neither the VCs nor officials turned up.

There were also reports that Dhankhar had sent back a file regarding the Calcutta University to the department recently instead of signing it as chancellor.

Last year on December 24, the governor was prevented from attending the convocation of the Jadavpur University by a Trinamool Congress-controlled employees union and faced student protests, which were held on the varsity's campus.

The government and the governor were also at loggerheads over certain issues since Dhankhar's visit to the Jadavpur University to 'rescue' Union Minister Babul Supriyo on September 19.