The exclusion of Jadavpur University (JU) from the list of top educational institutions under the Institutions of Eminence (IoE) scheme has sparked a political blame game, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) squarely holding the West Bengal government responsible. According to central education minister Sukanta Majumdar, the university’s removal was due to the state government’s inability to fulfill its financial obligations. He stated that when a central committee selected JU as an IoE in 2018, a budget proposal of ₹3,299 crore was made, requiring ₹1,000 crore from the central government and the remainder from the state. However, citing financial constraints, the then-vice-chancellor Suranjan Das informed the Centre that the state could not contribute its share. This led to repeated reductions in the proposed budget, eventually bringing it down to ₹606 crore, which fell short of the required standards.

The controversy deepened as BJP leaders accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of negligence and disinterest in supporting higher education. The reduction in funding forced the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) to deem the revised budget inadequate for maintaining IoE status. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Shamiq Bhattacharya raised the issue in Parliament, questioning why such a renowned institution was excluded. Central authorities reiterated that without adequate state support, sustaining the quality benchmarks set by the IoE framework became impossible. The episode highlights the growing tension between the Centre and the state over resource allocation and governance priorities in the education sector.