TMC likely to bring motion against WB governor in Assembly this week

The tussle between Raj Bhavan and the state secretariat in West Bengal is expected to escalate further as the Trinamool Congress is considering moving a special motion against the functioning of governor C.V. Ananda Bose in the state assembly on Thursday, the last day of the extended monsoon session.

The likely decision comes after Raj Bhavan on Monday morning announced the governor's decision to appoint interim vice-chancellors to 16 state universities, which have been operating without a functional head for some time now.

The fresh notification came just a day after Raj Bhavan issued a notification on Sunday, saying any instruction from the state government or state education department was not binding on any faculty or non-faculty staff of any state university.

Hinting at bringing a special motion condemning the functioning of the governor, education minister Bratya Basu said a final decision will be taken by chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

During the tenure of Bose's predecessor and current Indian vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar too, the ruling party had moved a similar motion against him.

Meanwhile, a BJP legislator said when the monsoon session of the assembly had resumed in July, the ruling party had given a similar hint that a motion against the governor might be brought.

“But it did not happen then. First let them move the motion officially, and we will also act as per the decision of our legislative party,” the MLA said.

Earlier on Monday, Basu launched a scathing attack against the governor, going to the extent of describing him as a “clown”. He also hinted at legal action to stall the various moves of the governor concerning the education sector.