Bengal governor invites Mamata to protest inside Raj Bhavan

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Thursday invited Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as his "honoured guest" to stage any protest she may wish to join inside the Raj Bhavan.

This "offer" comes days after Banerjee had threatened to stage a sit-in outside the Raj Bhavan to protest against his "holding back" bills passed by the state assembly.

"I will request my esteemed constitutional colleague, the honourable CM to come inside the Raj Bhavan and hold protests if she wants. Why should she be standing outside?" the governor said while speaking to reporters at the airport in Kolkata.

During a Teacher's Day programme on Tuesday, Banerjee had said, "If federalism is interfered with by taking away rights (of the state governments), I will be forced to sit on dharna outside the Raj Bhavan. We will not allow injustice. Bengal knows how to fight back. Wait and watch."

The governor, in his capacity as the chancellor of state-run universities, has recently appointed interim vice-chancellors for eight varsities, including the prestigious Presidency University, MAKAUT and the University of Burdwan, a step which was severely criticised by the chief minister as a bid to interfere with the running of state-administered universities.

Sources said the interim vice-chancellors of eight other universities have also been finalised and appointment letters "will be issued soon".

Noting that the vice-chancellors should be picked from the names suggested by a five-member search committee, Banerjee had said, "The governor is appointing persons at his will with no regard to the suggestions."