Chennai Dec 30 PTI Actor-politician Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam on Thursday demanded that the DMK government emulate Maharashtra and pass a Bill in the Assembly to redefine the powers of Governor in respect of state-run universitiesAfter obtaining recommendations from experts the Tamil Nadu government should adopt a Bill in the Assembly to amend provisions to redefine the scope of powers of Governor in matters related to state government run varsities a party release saidWelcoming the passage of a Bill in Maharashtras legislative council that gives more powers to the Higher and Technical Education Minister with regard to the state-run varsities the actor-led party said it had always stood for state autonomy and decentralisation of powersThe MNM said both the DMK and AIADMK which had alternately wielded power in Tamil Nadu did not take forward such a proposalOn December 28 The Maharashtra Legislative Council passed the Maharashtra Public University Third Amendment Bill 2016Opposition BJP had claimed that it undermined the Governors powers and would lead to more political interference in the administration of universities PTI VGN ROH ROH

Kolkata Dec 25 PTI West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay who has had several run-ins with Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar in the recent past on Saturday said he has written to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise them of Dhankhars interference in legislative matters The speaker had earlier expressed anguish over Dhankhars insistence to administer oath to TMC MLAs including CM Mamata Banerjee after the September 30 elections He had engaged in a war of words with the governor over appointment of Mukul Roy as Public Accounts Committee PAC chairman The two have also sparred over a bill seeking separation of Bally Municipality from Howrah Municipal Corporation The bill has been passed by the Assembly and is waiting for the governors assent I have written to the PM and the President to complain against his governors tendency to violate constitutional conventions and interfere in legislative matters His conduct does not befit the constitutional head of a state the speaker told PTI Bandopadhyay recently alleged that polls to Howrah Municipal Corporation were getting delayed with the governor taking time to give his assent to the bill Dhankhar on his part said he was yet to get documents that he sought pertaining to the bill PTI SUS RMS RMS