Amid Nitish govt vs Governor flare-up over varsities’ control, JD(U), BJP dial down heat

Although Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar has returned to the BJP-led NDA and become part of the “double-engine” regime with the NDA ruling the Centre too, the long-running face-off between the state government and the Raj Bhavan refuses to die down.

In the latest row, the state education department has directed 39 of its officials to carry out inspection of colleges affiliated to various government universities across the state from the last week of this month until first week of March.

Raj Bhavan sources toldThe Indian Express that the education department has been “finding one way or the other to interfere with the Chancellor’s power”. “Even though rules are clearly in place that Governor who is ex-officio Chancellor of universities, is the appointing authority of Vice- Chancellors and that the whole administrative control of universities rests with the Chancellor. The education department can only conduct audits and cannot correspond with the V-Cs,” sources said.

The JD(U) and the BJP however appear to be on the same page, asking the education department to go by the rule book, precedence and a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the supremacy of the Chancellor in matters related to the universities’ functioning.

There have been at least five instances in the last 10 months, when the Bihar government and the Raj Bhavan have locked horns over the inspection and administration of 13 state universities. The education department has maintained that since it gives grants and other funds to the state universities, it is well within its powers to exercise administrative control over them in various matters.

Even though the Raj Bhavan has not officially reacted to the education department’s fresh inspection