Shillong, August 2: A fresh conflict is emerging between the Raj Bhavan and the state secretariat in West Bengal over Governor CV Ananda Bose’s decision to establish an anti-corruption cell within the Governor House premises. The cell aims to directly gather information from the public regarding corruption issues.
Operating from the former “Peace Room” within the Raj Bhavan, which was utilized during the recent panchayat elections to collect public complaints about poll-related violence, the proposed anti-corruption cell’s focus will primarily be on preventing corruption in university education, as the Governor serves as the chancellor of state universities. However, the cell is open to receiving information about corruption in any other sphere as well.
IANS stated that the Governor clarified that the cell will analyze complaints, take them up with the appropriate authorities, and follow up on them, effectively acting as a form of moral policing. Legally, the relevant department will undertake necessary actions based on the complaints.
This decision comes just 48 hours after the state government declared its intent to move to the Supreme Court against various decisions of the Governor pertaining to the state’s education sector, bypassing the state government altogether.
The move to establish the anti-corruption cell has further angered the state government. The State Education Minister, Bratya Basu, perceives it as an attempt by the Governor to exert total control over the education system. He believes that such interferences from the Governor’s House are common in non-BJP ruled states, but in West Bengal, they have reached an unprecedented level. The Minister criticizes the decision, as it was made without any discussion with the state education department, implying that the Governor views the department as a hotbed of corruption.