The raging controversy in Bihar about the governor’s role got a new twist on Friday with the Opposition RJD’s state chi-ef and former education minister Ramchandra Purve saying that then governor Sunder Singh Bhandari had
completely ignored the RJD government’s advice in choosing university vice-chancellors. While there is as yet no indication that the RJD, Bihar’s main Opposition party, might support the ruling NDA’s imminent campaign against governor Devanand Konwar, Mr Purve’s statements came as a double-edged sword for the NDA’s complaints about the governor not consulting with the state government. Two prominent ministers in the Nitish Kumar-led government have openly spoken about Mr Konwar’s alleged disregard of the government’s choice of names in the latest appointment of six university vice-chancellors and five pro-VCs.
“Consultation is not well defined so far. When I was myself Bihar’s education minister, then governor Sunder Singh Bhandari did not appoint even a single person from our government’s recommendations as a vice-chancellor. He appointed people close to the BJP,” said Mr Purve.
Education minister P.K. Shahi, who was singled out for criticism by Mr Konwar two days ago, still holds the appointment of the V-Cs and pro-VCs made by the Raj Bhawan on Monday as illegal. Mr Shahi has also reportedly set in motion formal proceedings aimed at curtailing the financial powers of the V-Cs despite Mr Konwar having said that the state government could not do so.
Although Mr Konwar insists that he had consulted CM Nitish Kumar twice about the appointment of V-Cs and pro-VCs and that Kumar had left it to the governor’s office, Shahi denied any such consultation having ever been made. A report of the state education department mentioning the absence of any such consultation has been reportedly endorsed by Mr Kumar, thus paving the way for an intensified battle between the governor and the JD(U)-BJP government.