'Guv working like Macbeth, driven by high ambition': Bengal minister on Bose's Hamlet swipe

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose was working without any consultation with the state government on the appointment of vice-chancellors of universities, state Education Minister Bratya Basu said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the birth anniversary celebrations of Rabindranath Tagore at the Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) here, Basu said the governor was acting like Macbeth and Julius Caesar, only driven by high ambition.

On Monday, while addressing the convocation ceremony of the state-run RBU, Bose had said, "When there is a crisis, whether legal, constitutional or political, the governor cannot act like Hamlet in Shakespeare -- 'to be or not to be'. Yes, that is what education teaches us, to be ready for taking prompt action." When the minister was about the comment of the governor, who is the chancellor of the varsity, Basu alleged that Bose was usurping power.

"He is acting like Macbeth and Julius Caesar, only driven by high ambition. Many a time we told him to take decisions in Higher Education related matters after talking to the government. But, he seems to have usurped power," Basu said.

"The governor was talking of following rules on one hand, and flouting it on the other,' he alleged. He appointed vice-chancellors in several universities without consulting the Higher Education Department, the minister said.

The Raj Bhavan's acrimonious equation with Nabanna, the state secretariat, changed after Bose replaced Jagdeep Dhankhar as the governor in November last year. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Raj Bhavan several times and held discussions with the governor on issues concerning the state.

However, the relation somewhat soured after Bose sent letters to state varsities, asking for weekly updates about their programmes and financial expenses. His unannounced visit to campuses, and meeting with varsity officials and teachers further soured the relationship as the state started taking exception.

While Bose has so far stayed away from responding to political statements, his comment at the RBU convocation came in reply to TMC's shrill attacks, alleging that he was "interfering" in the domain of the elected government.