PAU V-C’s appointment ‘illegal’, remove him: Punjab guv to CM
Purohit, who is the chancellor of agri varsity, said the government had appointed Gosal without following the UGC norms and his approval
Chandigarh/Ludhiana : Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on Tuesday asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann to remove Dr Satbir Singh Gosal from the post of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) vice-chancellor, terming his appointment “totally illegal”.
A renowned biotechnologist, Gosal was appointed as the PAU V-C two months ago. Though his predecessor BS Dhillon had retired on June 30, 2021, the government did not appoint a regular V-C till until two months ago.
The governor, who is the chancellor of the PAU, said the government had appointed Gosal without following the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms and approval of the chancellor. He said this act of the government of Punjab cannot be accepted by any logic. “Since Satbir Singh Gosal has been appointed V-C of PAU by the Punjab government, you are requested to remove the said V-C, who has been illegally appointed, without further delay,” Purohit wrote to the CM, directing that the V-C’s charge be handed over to the administrative secretary of the agriculture department.
This comes a week after the governor on October 11 rejected the CM’s move to appoint noted cardiologist Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander as the new vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot.
Punjab agriculture minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal hit back at the governor terming his action “unconstitutional”. Accusing the governor of acting at the behest of BJP, he claimed the letter sent to the state government was drafted from BJP headquarters in Delhi. “The Mann government did not indulge in any illegality. The PAU comes under the Haryana and Punjab Agricultural University Act, 1970, and not under the UGC. The governor should have read the Act before sending such a communication,” he said, demanding that the governor should immediately withdraw his letter.
Responding to the controversy, Gosal said, “The PAU registrar is the right person to comment on it. I have been appointed by the government, and will accept whatever it decides.”
In the letter, the governor also asked the chief minister to instruct the agriculture department to initiate the appointment process of new V-C, in consultation with the chancellor. “I hope you will realise the seriousness of the issue and take corrective measures immediately in the right spirit,” he wrote.
The order to remove the PAU vice-chancellor, which has taken aback the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, came just a week after he rejected the state government’s choice for the post of vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS). The state government had selected cardiologist Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander for the post, but Purohit on October 11 returned the file containing its recommendation for not adhering to “proper procedure”. The state government was also told to send a panel of three candidates for the selection of vice-chancellor.
Dissonance between guv and CM
The governor’s missive is the latest in a series of flashpoints between him and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the last few weeks. The face-off between the governor and the state government had started last month when Purohit withdrew his consent for a special session convened by Mann to table a motion of confidence. The AAP government responded by calling a regular session, but the governor sought the details of legislative business. Though several ministers and ruling party leaders hit out at Purohit, the government later blinked and shared details with the governor. The episode, however, created “discord” between the state government and the Raj Bhawan. The governor, who seems to be closely scrutinizing the government’s actions, later took exception to Mann skipping the reception organized for President Droupadi Murmu at the Raj Bhawan on October 8 during her maiden visit to Chandigarh.
V-C fiasco an avoidable embarrassment: Jakhar
Targeting the Bhagwant Mann government for once again bringing embarrassment to all Punjabis, former member of Parliament and senior BJP leader Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday said the fiasco over appointment of PAU V-C was an avoidable embarrassment had the state government followed due procedural norms for an otherwise routine process.
The governor, being the chancellor of the state universities, is the final appointing authority of a V-C, Jakhar said. Is there nobody to tell the powers that be a simple rule that any name or a panel of names the government proposes has to be ratified by the governor before one is chosen to lead the university as a V-C?” Jakhar asked.
Confrontation not in Punjab’s interest: Warring
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Tuesday criticised the failure of the Punjab government to follow rules and proper procedures in appointing the vice-chancellors of various universities. Warring also expressed grave concern over the growing confrontation between the governor and the chief minister saying that it did not bode well for the state as the two must work in close coordination.
