The second meeting called by UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit to discuss Haryana’s proposal for Panjab University (PU) affiliation to its colleges in three districts, and offer to help the varsity tide over its financial crisis remained inconclusive on Monday.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann rejected his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar’s proposal of affiliation of Haryana colleges in Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar districts with PU, saying the Chandigarh-based university has always been connected with Punjab’s legacy and heritage.
Officials, privy to the matter, said that Purohit advised a middle path after Khattar offered to contribute up to 40% of the total annual expenses needed to run the university and suggested it give affiliation to the colleges of the three districts of Haryana.
Mann told reporters later, “There is no scope for inclusion of Haryana in running of the Panjab University, as Punjab is self-sufficient to run the university, a symbol of Punjab’s culture, ethos, traditions and literature.”
On June 1, Purohit had presided over the first meeting between the two CMs but it was inconclusive.
The governor intervened after Union home minister Amit Shah’s suggestion in the northern zonal council meeting that such issues should be resolved locally.
{{/usCountry}}The governor intervened after Union home minister Amit Shah’s suggestion in the northern zonal council meeting that such issues should be resolved locally.
{{/usCountry}}Purohit said the next meeting in this regard will be held on July 3.
The university’s financial crisis is growing by the year. As per the budget documents for the 2023-24 academic session, the University Grants Commission (UGC) will pay a grant of ₹294 crore and Punjab will pay ₹38 crore. Yet there will be a deficit of ₹118 crore in this year’s budget. Arrears worth ₹200 crore are also pending. In March, the UGC had said that there is no possibility of any further increase in the grant of PU at this stage. After Haryana and Himachal Pradesh withdrew, in 1976, a consultative committee of the central government fixed the funding ratio between the Centre and Punjab government at 60:40. Punjab has been increasing the funds marginally, barely meeting the 40% criteria.
Khattar said in the meeting that in the interest of students, the colleges of the state should be given the option of affiliation with Panjab University. “Delhi University is building its campus in Haryana. Apart from this, the campus of IIT, Delhi, is also coming up in the state. Expanding education and affiliation of the colleges will provide new opportunities to students of Haryana,” he said.
The Haryana government spokesperson said the Centre has 60% share in the university and Punjab has 40% share. In 10 years, the university has received an average of ₹200- ₹300 crore per year from the Centre. But from Punjab, it has only received ₹20- ₹21 crore on an average per year. In 2020-21, ₹39 crore was released by Punjab. Overall, the university gets only 7 to 14% of the budget as against Punjab’s share of 40%, the spokesman added.
On the other hand, Mann said, in 1970, the Haryana government voluntarily surrendered its claim over the university. “...regular attempts are being made to change the status of the university. The Punjab government will not allow any such move in the larger interests of the students,” said the Punjab CM. Mann also quoted a Haryana government letter to V-Cs of the state, citing the government’s inability to give funds to universities. “While on one hand, the universities in Haryana were asked to manage with their own resources, on the other hand, the state government is too eager to put a share in Panjab University which indicates some nefarious designs of the state,” he remarked.
Mann is also learnt to have questioned vice-chancellor, PU Renu Vig during the meeting when she informed that the financial condition of the varsity was bad in view of the resource crunch. Bhagwant Mann is learnt to have told her that the issue should have been taken up with the Punjab government first.
Chandigarh administration, on the other hand, has said that allowing affiliation of Haryana colleges will not only invite revenue to the university but will also help in enhancing its status. “This is Punjab’s call to agree or disagree on accepting grants from Haryana but even if Punjab agrees to provide affiliation, the rights of the Punjab government will remain the same,” said UT adviser Dharam Pal after the meeting adding that UT in no manner wants to adversely affect rights of neither Punjab nor the University.
With political parties in Punjab criticising his handling of Haryana’s proposal of affiliation of its colleges with PU, Mann on Monday made public a letter written in 2008 by then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, offering a no-objection certificate for converting PU into a central university. Then Punjab government had to withdraw its decision due to opposition from political parties. The political parties in Punjab had criticised Mann for even allowing the presence of the Haryana CM in the meeting on June 1. However, Mann, in his statement, said that these parties had always looked at their own interests and jeopardised that of the state. Both Congress and SAD were “hypocrites” who had always ignored the interests of the state for their “selfish interests”, he alleged.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann to not weaken Punjab’s case on Panjab University (PU) by indulging in a smear campaign against former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. He said that Mann should instead expose Haryana, which is trying to capture PU through the back door.
Addressing mediapersons here, senior SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said: “It is shocking that Bhagwant Mann has eroded the dignity of the high office he holds by indulging in a selective leak of a letter Parkash Singh Badal wrote to the Centre in 2008.”
Explaining the issue, he said, “Following a demand from teachers and students of Panjab University, who were agitating for an increase in the retirement age as well as increase in emolument for research scholars, the then Punjab government had expressed its no objection to the varsity being accorded central university status. However, it was done on the condition that the university’s name would remain the same and that its statutory bodies – the Senate and Syndicate would not be tinkered with nor will there be any change in affiliation of Punjab colleges with the institution.
Mann chose to ignore all these points while reading out the letter selectively to the media, pointed Cheema.
“It is condemnable that the chief minister did not disclose that the 2008 letter was withdrawn five days after it was written. The CM should have been upfront about this fact also,” suggested Mann.