Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of weakening the state's institutions under her leadership.
Pradhan's remarks came after Banerjee criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his comments on Jadavpur University, saying they undermined a premier institution known for academic excellence.
Pradhan cited findings of a UGC expert committee on Jadavpur University, which described the varsity's anti-ragging framework as 'feeble and lacklustre' and flagged 'serious administrative failures marked by indifference, negligence, and a troubling absence of accountability'.
He alleged that the Trinamool Congress government showed 'little intent to address the deeper structural failures', claiming that 'campuses have too often been viewed through the prism of political influence rather than academic responsibility'.
Banerjee, however, countered that Modi's comments were 'anti-Bengal' and 'undemocratic', and that he should check the NIRF rankings of Jadavpur University and Calcutta University before speaking about them.
Modi had launched a blistering attack on the TMC, alleging that the Mamata Banerjee-led party had destroyed the state's identity through corruption and infiltration and turned premier institutions like Jadavpur University into symbols of disorder and political intimidation.
