Akali Dal Delegation to Meet Vice President on the Issue
Says Punjabis Will Never Allow Centralization of the University
Akali Dal Determined to Foil Efforts to Make Chandigarh a Permanent UT: Sukhbir Badal
Chandigarh, November 15: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President, Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal, today appealed to all political parties and social organizations to set aside party lines and support the cause of Panjab University.
Speaking to the media after meeting protesting students at Panjab University here, the Akali Dal President said that it was the need of the hour to send a strong message that Punjabis will never allow this university to be snatched away from Punjab. He stated that he did not wish to take credit for any effort, but Punjabis must unite to oppose any move to take Panjab University away from the state.
He said that Panjab University is a symbolic emblem of the state and an emotional issue for them. He mentioned that he had studied at the university for four years and that everyone should unite on one platform to oppose any attempt to centralize it.
He described this as the first attempt to seize control of Punjab’s prestigious university, and suggested that other steps to change the status of Chandigarh were likely to follow.
He revealed that he had learned a separate recruitment policy was being prepared for Chandigarh. He said that when the state was reorganized in 1966, it was decided that officers would be deployed in a 60:40 ratio from Punjab and Haryana, but now efforts are being made to create a separate cadre for Chandigarh along the lines of other Union Territories.
He announced that a delegation led by the Shiromani Akali Dal will soon meet the Vice President and seek his intervention in the matter. He asserted that the Akali Dal is ready to play its role in opposing any attempt to change the nature of Panjab University and is also prepared to lead this campaign.
Earlier, students of the university informed the Akali Dal President about the latest developments, stating that the Vice Chancellor had informed them that he had sent a proposal to the concerned authorities to hold Senate elections and was awaiting approval. The students questioned why the Vice Chancellor’s proposal could not be approved without delay when the Central Government could issue two notifications within a few hours.
In response to media queries, the Akali Dal President clarified that he was not here as a political person but due to his emotional attachment to this university, which has over 200 colleges in Punjab affiliated to it. He reaffirmed that he is ready to do whatever is necessary to protect the current status of the university.