Hoshiarpur - Former Cabinet Minister and senior BJP leader Tikshan Sood stated in a press note that the Government of India had dissolved the Panjab University Senate and Syndicate, significantly reducing the total number of elected members and empowering the Vice Chancellor of the University to make numerous appointments. This had caused controversy, and student organizations and other political parties had opposed it.
It is noteworthy that the BJP Punjab unit, which has always stood firmly with Punjab's interests on every issue, had also expressed its sentiments to the Honorable Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, and the Education Minister, urging them to withdraw this undemocratic notification, as it was not in the best interests of Punjab.
Mr. Sood said that the central government has sympathetically accepted our demand and withdrawn the notification. However, a review of the performance of the Aam Aadmi Party, which seemed eager to gain political advantage from this notification, will reveal its true nature.
The Punjab Chief Minister, the Education Minister, and two nominated MLAs, who are officially members of the Punjab University Senate, have not attended any meetings for the past four years. The Punjab government has significantly reduced the university's share of the grant.
The Punjab Chief Minister, who criticized the central notification, should also introspect and examine whether other universities run by the Punjab government, such as Punjabi University, Sri Guru Nanak Dev University, PTU, and Baba Farid University, also exist.
He urged that all state-run universities, following the example of Punjab University, should appoint elected members from among students and faculty to the Senate and Syndicate, so that democratic processes can be established in the governance of these universities.