'Sugata Bose should resign as Presidency mentor group chair'

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's grand nephew and renowned historian Sugata Bose's foray into politics has drawn sharp criticism from a student political body at Presidency University that Thursday demanded his resignation as chairman of the varsity's Mentor Group.

The Independents' Consolidation (IC) said the mentor group's sanctity would be "sacrificed" if Bose remained at the helm while campaigning for the April-May polls as a Trinamool Congress candidate from the Jadavpur Lok Sabha constitency.

"The MG was initially instituted to prevent party politics on campus...it also acts as an advisory body. But with Bose campaigning for the Trinamool, it is basically bringing back politics into the campus all over again.

"We have no issue of him joining politics as a citizen, but we have objections to his foraying into politics while he remains the chairman of the MG. It is contradictory to what Banerjee said and the group's sanctity will be sacrificed," IC convenor Madhusree Das told IANS.

"He should resign if he is competing for the Trinamool," she said.

The IC also expressed apprehension that the ongoing investigation into the vandalism of the varsity last year, allegedly by Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad members, may be stopped.

"Since the vandalism was carried out by the TMCP members and Bose is joining the same party, the investigation will stop," she said.

"Our stand is that both roles of Bose (as chairman and as Trinamool candidate) can't co-exist," she said.