Meeting with Governor on VC appointment in state universities fruitful: Mamata Banerjee

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a meeting with Governor C V Ananda Bose on the appointment of permanent vice-chancellors in the state's universities, and described it as fruitful. Banerjee, however, chose not to reply to queries about whether there was any discussion on the Supreme Court's order to form a committee for the appointment of vice-chancellors.

"The meeting went well. Discussions are fruitful," Banerjee said after coming out of the meeting on Monday evening, which lasted for nearly an hour at the Raj Bhavan.

The governor and the Mamata Banerjee government have been locked in a war of attrition over various issues including the appointment of vice-chancellors in state-run universities.

The higher education department has claimed the orders appointing VCs were illegal, as the governor did not consult the department before making the appointments. "There should be no criticism, conflict. Many say that there is a difference between the state and the governor. This is not right," Banerjee said.

On a Supreme Court ruling on the issue, she said the verdict has two phases. "One is to fix the issue of the interim vice-chancellor, and the other one is to set up a committee of five members for the appointment of the vice-chancellors," the chief minister added.