Nitish back with NDA, but Bihar govt vs Governor battle rages on

Nitish Kumar is back with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), but the dispute between his government in Bihar and Governor Rajendra Arlekar refuses to die down.

The latest row, according to an Indian Express report, is over the Bihar education department directing 39 of its officials to inspect colleges affiliated to government universities across the state. 

Quoting Raj Bhavan sources, the Indian Express report said the education department has been “finding one way or the other to interfere with the Chancellor’s power”.

Running battle

“Even though rules are clearly in place that the 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 told the publication.

This is yet another dispute between state governments and governors across the country over the control of universities, the earlier ones being in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal, to name a few. 

The friction between the Bihar government and the Governor over control of the universities is long-standing, and there have been several instances when the two have faced off over the inspection and administration of the state universities. The education department is of the opinion that it can exercise administrative control over the varsities since it provides them with financial resources.

Repeated rows

There have been other stand-offs, too, between the state and the Governor. Last June, when Nitish still with the Mahagathbandhan coalition along with the RJD and the Congress, the education department had mailed the state universities, asking them not to introduce a four-year degree course. The course had been approved by Arlekar following the recommendations of the University Grant Commission (UGC).

The Raj Bhavan shot back, asking vice-chancellors “not to follow any orders except from the Governor or Raj Bhavan”. The course was finally introduced.

The education department convened a meeting on February 28 to discuss whether universities should take orders from the Raj Bhavan or the state government, according to a government official quoted by Indian Express.

JD(U)'s U-turn?

However, the JD(U)’s spokesperson has now said the education department should not exceed its brief and should follow the recent ruling of the Supreme Court upholding the Chancellor’s supremacy in matters related to the functioning of state universities, said the report.