Government to now control all state university vice chancellors’ appointments, which Raj Bhavan has been responsible for so far
The Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government has been at loggerheads with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari ever since the tripartite arrangement came into existence
Taking the fight with the BJP to the next level, the Maha Vikas Aghadi Cabinet has decided to scrap the governor’s sweeping powers to appoint vice chancellors to state-run universities. As per the change proposed, the state government will recommend V-C nominees to the governor, who has so far made appointments from among the names provided by the Raj Bhavan-appointed expert committees.
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The decision came after it was first discussed in the Cabinet meeting last August when the ministers from Nagpur—Dr Nitin Raut, Sunil Kedar and Vijay Wadettiwar—had accused Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari of appointing academicians who are ideologically affiliated with the Sangh Parivar and BJP. The trio was upset over the appointment of Dr Subhash Chaudhari as Nagpur University’s V-C.
Other ministers had supported their colleagues, saying that the V-Cs appointed in recent times were no different ideologically. Chaudhari was selected from among the five candidates a search committee of experts, including a former high court chief justice, recommended to the governor.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had assured the Cabinet that work was on to amend the governing laws. mid-day had exclusively reported that the government was in the process of clipping the governor’s wings. The MVA government and the governor have been at loggerheads ever since the tripartite arrangement came into existence.
The CMO said on Wednesday the Cabinet has decided to amend the Maharashtra Public Universities Act-2016. It said that the state-appointed selection committee will recommend five names, of which two will be sent to the governor by the government. In addition, the amended act will have a provision to make the minister of Higher and Technical Education pro-chancellor of universities (the governor is Chancellor). In case of pro-VC’s post, the government will send the governor three nominations from among the recommendations made by the VCs.
Expected to be brought up in the upcoming session of the state legislature, the amendment to the act will invoke much resistance from the BJP benches. A voice of dissent was raised by BJP legislator Prasad Lad who accused the government of harming the constitutional powers of the governor.
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