Mamata government cries foul over Governor's writing to VCs on Yoga Day

Kolkata, June 14 (IANS) West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee government on Thursday expressed its dismay over Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi writing directly to university Vice Chancellors on observing International Yoga Day on June 23, while "keeping the state government in the dark".

Describing the action as "odd", state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee asked Tripathi to ponder over whether it was "constitutional" or "courteous" on his part.

Tripathi, the ex-officio Chancellor of state universities, has penned a letter to the Vice Chancellors, virtually directing them to celebrate the day with the rest of the country.

The Governor has also asked the universities to organise an inter-university debate on Mahatma Gandhi as part of countrywide celebrations of his 150th birth anniversary. The best university in the debate would be given the Governor's trophy, with the three best speakers also getting prizes.

Chatterjee noted that as per custom, the Union Human Resource Development Ministry always addressed their communications to the state Education Department.

"It is my Education Department which takes care of such letters. Now, what is odd here is that without writing to my department, he (Tripathi) has written directly or was made to write directly to the Vice Chancellors, just because he is the Chancellor.

"The Governor should himself ponder to what extent it is constitutional or courteous on his part to write directly to the vice-chancellors keeping the state in the dark," the minister added.