“People have been misled for so long, they are trying to cover fish with vegetables,” state higher education minister Jagannath Chatterjee said while addressing West Bengal Day celebrations at Calcutta University. This was his first visit to Calcutta University after taking charge. On the first day, the minister gave a distinguished speech on the former vice-chancellor of the university and legendary public leader Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.
Recalling the contribution of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Ashutosh Ghosh, the present Vice-Chancellor of the University, said that without Shyama Prasad, the state of West Bengal would not have existed today. Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chatterjee said, “Due to the change in the state’s political landscape, what the BJP has been saying for so long should be said to the Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University”.
The minister criticized the previous government of the state. According to him, people were misled by hiding the real history for so long. After the change, the current government has now instructed schools, colleges and universities to discuss the exact history and context of West Bengal Day. Referring to the university as a sanctuary of free thought, he criticized the previous government for building a Jagannath temple in Dighat, a Mahakala temple in Siliguri or a Durga temple in Newtown when the vote bank was exhausted.
Vice-Chancellor Ashutosh Ghosh said that the work details of all the Vice-Chancellors of Calcutta University from Sir Ashutosh Mukhopadhyay to 1947 have already been preserved and the rest of the Vice-Chancellor records will be preserved in the coming days. Other memorabilia, including the joining letter of Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee as the youngest Vice-Chancellor of the University, are being considered for special preservation in the University premises.
The higher education minister held a meeting with the university vice-chancellor and members of the teachers’ union. The teachers brought up various infrastructural issues to the minister. After listening to everything, the minister directed that teachers, faculty and students should make a specific list of what problems are there and what is needed for the overall improvement of the university and submit it to the higher education department. According to sources, the Vice-Chancellor will soon prepare the list and meet the Minister and the State Higher Education Minister has given full assurance to resolve all these issues soon.