An Aam Aadmi Party delegation met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria here on Thursday, seeking withdrawal of the Centre's notification which proposed restructuring of the Panjab University's governing bodies -- Syndicate and Senate.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and MPs Malvinder Singh Kang, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, MLAs Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy, and Devinderjit Singh Laddi Dhos were part of the delegation.
Several leaders from the AAP, Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have been opposing the Centre's move to restructure Panjab University's governing bodies, which it did via a notification dated October 28.
The notification amends the Panjab University Act, 1947, reducing the size of the Senate, an apex government body, from 90 to 31, and doing away with elections for its executive body, the Syndicate, and abolishing the graduate constituency of the Senate.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Cheema accused the BJP-led Centre of trying to "destroy" the democratic set-up of PU with an intention of having a "complete control" over the university. "The notification was issued to destroy the democratic set-up," he alleged.
Cheema said the notification would not only affect PU, but would also impact around 200 affiliated colleges in Punjab.
In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the AAP stated, "The Union Ministry of Education's notification dated October 28 unilaterally dissolved the democratically elected Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University and reduced the size of the Senate to merely 31."
"This drastic move strikes at the very root of institutional autonomy and democratic governance that Panjab University has proudly upheld for over seven decades," It added. The subsequent notification, dated November 4, which claims to "defer" the implementation, is nothing but a tactical pause, the party said.
"It keeps the original destructive framework intact, creating an illusion of relief while preserving the Centre's power to impose its will at any moment. Such duplicity erodes public trust and exposes a clear intent to gradually strangulate an institution that belongs to the people of Punjab," it said.
Amid mounting pressure from political leaders and protesting students, the Centre has "put on hold" the implementation of its October 28 notification. Chief Minister Bhagwant Man, among others, has demanded the complete rollback of the notification.
"Panjab University was born out of the ashes of Partition under the Panjab University Act, 1947, passed by the Punjab Legislative Assembly. After the 1966 reorganisation, the Punjab Reorganisation Act explicitly safeguarded Punjab's primary stake and administrative control over the university," the AAP memorandum said.
The party delegation urged the Governor to direct the Union Ministry of Education to permanently withdraw and declare null and void both the October 28 notification and the November 4 deferment order. "Ensure immediate restoration of the Senate and Syndicate to their full strength and democratic composition, as mandated by the Panjab University Act, 1947, and the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966," it said.
The party also demanded that no future changes to the university's governance should be attempted without prior, transparent and binding consultation with the government of Punjab, elected representatives, students, alumni and faculty.
Also read: Centre revokes notification on Panjab University restructuring
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