NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: In a surprise move, the Union government on Thursday appointed former bureaucrat C V Ananda Bose the governor of West Bengal. Bose (71) is a retired IAS officer of the Kerala cadre. He last served as an administrator in the National Museum in New Delhi before superannuating in 2011.
“The President of India is pleased to appoint Dr C V Ananda Bose as regular governor of West Bengal,” a communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. His appointment will take effect on the date he assumes charge of his office, it said.
Bose’s appointment as the governor comes days after the BJP’s West Bengal unit expressed unhappiness over the present incumbent La Ganesan, the Manipur governor who holds additional charge of the state after Jagdeep Dhankhar was elected the vice-president. Welcoming Bose, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar tweeted, “Congratulations to Dr C V Ananda Bose ji being appointed as the Hon’ble governor of West Bengal. We look forward to welcome him and work for the betterment of the people and state. Wishing him a successful tenure ahead.’’
Bose was secy to then CM K Karunakaran
Bose’s appointment is politically significant with the history of strained relations between the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee regime in West Bengal. Bose has been known as a housing expert, innovator, writer and orator. He is the chairman of Habitat Alliance, in consultative status with the UN.
A recipient of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship, he is also the first-ever Fellow of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. Bose has brought out 350 publications, including 45 books in English, Malayalam and Hindi consisting of novels, short stories, poems and essays. Four of his books have become best sellers.
Bose was the head of the Supreme Court committee on the treasures of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple. He had also worked as secretary to the Kerala chief minister when K Karunakaran was in office.
Born to freedom fighter late P K Vasudevan Nair and C Padmavathy Amma at Mannanam in Kottayam district, Bose holds a PhD from BITS Pilani. His wife L S Lakshmi manages their family-owned plantation and son A Vasudev Bose is pursuing acting at Stella Adler acting studio in Los Angeles.
(With inputs from PTI)