Kolkata, Sep 22 The BJP leadership in West Bengal on Tuesday asked newly appointed presidents of college governing bodies to keep political considerations out of academic affairs and focus on improving the learning environment, even as the state government has appointed a large number of party leaders to such panels.
The message, delivered at a meeting at the National Library here, comes amid questions over the apparent contradiction between the BJP’s electoral promise to free educational institutions from political influence and the appointment of its MLAs, MPs and functionaries to head college governing bodies.
More than 400 colleges have so far got newly appointed governing body presidents, with most of the nominees being legislators, MPs or present and former office-bearers of the BJP and its affiliated organisations, according to the appointments announced by the state higher education department.
The issue had triggered criticism from the opposition and educational organisations, which questioned why political leaders were being placed at the helm of institutions that the BJP had promised to depoliticise.
The BJP, however, maintained that the appointments are part of an effort to change the functioning of institutions after years of alleged political interference.
Tuesday’s meeting appeared to be an effort to draw a line between the political identity of the appointees and the responsibilities they are expected to discharge inside the colleges.
The meeting was attended by BJP national general secretary and West Bengal in-charge Sunil Bansal, state president Samik Bhattacharya, state general secretary (organisation) Amitava Chakraborty and Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay.
Bhattacharya’s message was centred on the need to restore an academic atmosphere in colleges, with the governing body presidents being asked not to allow political compulsions to dictate institutional decisions.
“The BJP will not move away from its commitment. The party had promised to free colleges and universities from political influence, and the state president made that very clear again at the meeting,” said BJP spokesperson Sayantan Basu, who heads the governing body of Bhangar College.
The emphasis was not merely on keeping party politics away from campuses but also on improving basic academic and institutional conditions, according to participants.
Rajkamal Pathak, a former state BJP vice-president and president of the governing body of Heramba Chandra College, said the state leadership had asked them to concentrate on improving attendance, infrastructure, cleanliness and the overall academic environment.
“There was a situation where students were reluctant to come to college even after taking admission. We have been asked to change that situation. Political compulsions should not take precedence over the interests of students and academics,” he said.
The political backdrop to the exercise is significant.
The BJP had made the depoliticisation of educational institutions a key promise before assuming power in the state. Yet the first two rounds of appointments have largely brought political figures into governing bodies. In September, the government announced presidents for another 171 colleges, with several BJP functionaries among the nominees.
The party’s argument is that those with political experience are being entrusted with the task of dismantling an entrenched system of political control rather than perpetuating it.
At the meeting, however, the emphasis shifted from politics to procedure.
Chattopadhyay briefed the governing body presidents about their statutory powers and responsibilities and cautioned them against taking decisions beyond their mandate, participants said.
Pathak alleged that the college governing bodies during the previous Trinamool Congress government had frequently ignored rules, including in matters relating to appointments, audits and submission of statutory returns.
“That cannot continue now. The minister explained in detail what our powers are, what we can do and what we cannot do, and made it clear that the governing bodies have to function strictly according to the law,” he said.
The government has also been reshaping the administrative architecture of higher education since taking office.
In May, the higher education department formally terminated the tenure of presidents and nominated members of governing bodies of government and state-aided colleges before making fresh appointments.
For the BJP, the governing bodies therefore represent an early test of whether its political promise can be translated into institutional practice – political nominees at the top, but a stated mandate to keep politics away from campuses.
The message from Tuesday’s meeting was that the two need not be contradictory, provided the appointees treat their political affiliations as separate from their institutional responsibilities.
The real test, however, lies in how these governing bodies exercise their powers once they begin taking decisions on appointments, administration, finances and the day-to-day functioning of the colleges.
(PTI News)
