E-Paper
Punjab governor, govt spar over V-C’s appointment
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on Tuesday asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann to remove Satbir Singh Gosal from the post of vice-chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), terming his appointment “totally illegal”
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on Tuesday asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann to remove Satbir Singh Gosal from the post of vice-chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), terming his appointment “totally illegal”.
State’s agriculture minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, however, termed the governor’s move “unconstitutional” and accused him of acting at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The governor, who is the chancellor of the PAU, said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led state government had appointed Gosal without following the norms of the University Grants Commission, or seeking his (the chancellor’s) approval.
“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 chief minister Mann, directing that the vice-chancellor’s charge be handed over to the administrative secretary of the agriculture department.
While repeated attempts to reach Gosal for a comment could not materialise, additional director, communication, TS Riar said they have not received any official letter or communique in this regard.
Hitting back at the governor’s move, Punjab agriculture minister Dhaliwal claimed that Gosal’s appointment as the vice-chancellor was made by the PAU board. “The AAP government did not indulge in any illegality. The governor should have read the Act before sending such a communication.”
A renowned biotechnologist, Gosal was appointed as the PAU V-C two months ago. Though his predecessor BS Dhillon retired on June 30, last year, the government did not appoint a regular V-C until two months ago. In the interim, three senior bureaucrats were given additional charges of running the varsity.
The governor’s diktat to the chief minister came just a week after he refused to accept the state government’s choice for vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS). The state government had appointed cardiologist Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander for the post, but Purohit on October 11 rejected it, asking the government to send a panel of three candidates for the selection of vice-chancellor.
The governor’s missive is the latest in a series of flashpoints between the Raj Bhawan and the AAP government. Last month, a row broke out when Purohit withdrew his consent for a special session convened by CM Mann to table a motion of confidence.
The AAP government responded by calling a regular session, after which the governor sought the details of legislative business, escalating their differences. Mann and his cabinet ministers also publicly criticised the governor. Later, Purohit took exception to Mann’s absence from a reception held in honour of President Droupadi Murmu at the Raj Bhawan.
