A senior teacher who took charge as interim pro vice-chancellor (academic) of Calcutta University on Monday declared himself the "government's man" and urged officials to support the government to ensure successful implementation of its policies.

Swagata Sen, an office-bearer in the state committee of the Trinamul-backed West Bengal College and University Professors' Association (WBCUPA) and dean of Calcutta University's commerce faculty, takes over from Dhrubojyoti Chatterjee, who quit the post to join Amity University in New Town.

"Who isn't a government man? Everyone here is a government man. Since a government is formed through a democratic process, we all should support the government and enable it to achieve success. And this university is after all a government institution. This government has several progressive policies. Those have to be implemented," he said soon after assuming office.

Sen had been asked by ABP Ananda if he would quit the WBCUPA post since it was backed by a political party. Citing chief minister Mamata Banerjee's promise of ridding higher education of politics, Sen was asked if it would be fair to retain the post after joining in a senior position in an autonomous university.

Sen's reply was reminiscent of academician Sugata Marjit's comment after joining as interim vice-chancellor of Calcutta University on July 15.

Marjit, known for his proximity to the ruling Trinamul, had said that since the university act says that interim VC would be appointed by the governor, in consultation with the higher education minister, it was obvious that a government man ( sarkar er lok) would be chosen.

Keeping up his stance, Marjit showered praise on the chief minister at a Teachers' Day programme last Friday.

Sen, too, lavished praise on the government on Monday. "This government has adopted several progressive policies. We need to implement them successfully.... It's true there had been some irregularities in the university system in the past. We should forget what happened. As for this government, it has established greater transparency in every respect," he said.

His comment comes at a time when vice-chancellors and senior officials of autonomous institutions, including Marjit and Presidency University vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia, have drawn criticism for bending over backwards to please the chief minister.