Explained: Bengal passes Bill replacing Governor with CM as state university Chancellor. What are the constitutional and political issues here? | Explained News,The Indian Express
The move by the Mamata Banerjee government has once again brought to the fore similar disputes playing out in Opposition-ruled states such as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, which too have curtailed the authority enjoyed by Governors as Chancellors.
The West Bengal Assembly on Monday (June 13) passed a Bill paving the way for making the Chief Minister the Chancellor of universities run by the state government, replacing the Governor from the position.
The move by the Mamata Banerjee government has once again brought to the fore similar disputes playing out in Opposition-ruled states such as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, which too have curtailed the authority enjoyed by Governors as Chancellors.
What is the latest development in West Bengal about?
On Monday, the state Legislative Assembly passed the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to replace the Governor, Jagdeep Dhankhar, with the CM as the Chancellor of state-run universities. Ironically, the Bill will become law only after it receives Dhankar’s assent.
The government has indicated that even if Dhankhar — who has had a rocky relationship with the Chief Minister — sits on the Bill, an ordinance might be brought to implement the proposal. But that again would be a stop-gap arrangement as ordinances, which can only be brought when the legislature is not in session, cease to operate on the expiry of six weeks from the reassembly of the state legislature.
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