Congress MLA from Ghanaur Madan Lal Jalalpur on Wednesday alleged that Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor professor Arvind was affiliated to Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). Jalalpur, who sought the removal of VC, leveled the allegations in front of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and professor Arvind during the CM’s maiden visit to the university. Jalalpur relented only […]
Congress MLA from Ghanaur Madan Lal Jalalpur on Wednesday alleged that Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor professor Arvind was affiliated to Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). Jalalpur, who sought the removal of VC, leveled the allegations in front of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and professor Arvind during the CM’s maiden visit to the university. Jalalpur relented only after Channi intervened and pacified him.
Earlier, in the day, police detained gangster turned activist Lakha Sidhana from Punjabi University before CM arrived at the venue. Sidhana said he and four others who accompanied him were detained and taken to a police station before they were let off after “about four hours”.
Sidhana said he had come to ask some questions from CM Channi as he had said that anyone can meet him. “I have been a student of Punjabi University and I had reached Guru Tegh Bahadur Hall. I had a list of questions which I wanted to ask. I had gone to ask CM about the university’s financial crisis of Rs 150 crore, which Channi had said that he would address. I also wanted to ask that while Punjab was under a huge debt, where will money come for the freebies announced by CM. I also wanted to ask questions on drugs issue and sand prices,” he said.’
Meanwhile, during the visit to the University, Channi announced the implementation of ‘Punjab Education Model’ across the state besides “strengthening the basic infrastructure of the government educational institutions by pulling them out of the financial crisis”.
Declaring to take over the financial liability of the university to the tune of Rs 150 crore, the CM announced “the annual grant of Rs 240 crore as part of the efforts to bailout the university from the fiscal mess”.
Addressing the teachers, employees and the students at Guru Tegh Bahadur hall in the University, the CM said that “the monthly grant in aid to the university has been increased to Rs 20 crore from Rs 9.5 crore”.
Lauding the efforts of the university to ensure development of Punjabi language besides quality higher education to students from poor economic background, Channi said, “The previous governments especially some CMs did not take any step to assist the university in tiding over the crisis. It is for this very reason that the university- a proud flag bearer of Punjabi mother tongue has got entangled in a financial mess of the worst kind.”
Channi added that the state was promoting Punjabi language in a big way.
In his address, finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal said that “a history of sorts has been scripted by the CM who has brought the two-decade old issue to a closure within two months of assuming office”.
Meanwhile, a group of ETT/TET pass unemployed teachers protested during CM Channi’s visit to Punjabi University. Police had to use mild force to disperse the protesters.
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