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Punjab BJP takes credit for Centre’s rethink
Party leaders said the state unit had immediately alerted the central leadership that the move was generating widespread resentment and could create avoidable political complications in Punjab.
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The Punjab BJP has linked the Centre’s decision to defer the proposed changes in the Panjab University senate and syndicate to the strong feedback it conveyed to the party’s national leadership.
Party leaders said the state unit had immediately alerted the central leadership that the move was generating widespread resentment and could create avoidable political complications in Punjab.
According to them, Punjab BJP’s working president Ashwani Sharma met national party president JP Nadda in New Delhi on Tuesday and briefed him about the growing opposition to the reforms.
They said Nadda shared the feedback with Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan as well, following which the Centre issued fresh notifications stating that the amendments to the Panjab University Act, 1947, would take effect on a future date, as decided by the central government.
Sharma, when contacted, denied sharing internal communications in the party over sensitive issues.
A senior BJP functionary told HT that the party was quick to sense the political undercurrent that was “aimed at giving a spin to the controversy to paint the BJP as anti-Punjab”.
“Social media was flooded with posts attacking the BJP. We could see it escalating into a major political flashpoint. Given the sensitivities of Punjab, this was not the right moment to push such reforms,” admitted a state vice-president of the party.
Interestingly, while a section of academic voices, including some former vice-chancellors, had welcomed the reforms, the BJP’s political leadership assessed that the controversy could damage its growing acceptance among the masses in Punjab.
“After a long time, the BJP is seeing an improvement in its connection with the common people in Punjab. Any avoidable controversy at this juncture could disturb the party’s momentum ahead of the 2027 assembly polls,” a senior leader explained.
Another senior party functionary said the decision to defer the notification was a “course correction” to prevent the matter from snowballing into a political controversy.
Adding to the pressure, even the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had expressed displeasure.
On Tuesday, a delegation of ABVP’s senior national leaders had visited the HRD ministry in Delhi, along with PU campus council president Gauravveer Sohal, who is from the ABVP, terming the Centre’s move as a “Tughlaqi farman.”
Meanwhile, students at PU said they will continue their protest against the senate restructuring and will proceed with the November 10 university shutdown.
