SAD hits back at Bhagwant Mann, says ex-CM Parkash Badal’s letter misquoted

Cheema then went on to add, “Following a demand from teachers and students of Panjab University who were protesting for an increase in the retirement age as well as increase in emolument for research scholars, the erstwhile Punjab government had expressed its no objection to the varsity being accorded Central University status.”

He said “This was however done with 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. Bhagwant Mann chose to ignore all these points while reading out the letter selectively to the media.”

Cheema said it was “also condemnable that the chief minister did not disclose that the 2008 letter was withdrawn five days after it was written.” Asserting that the 2008 letter had nothing to do with “the case at hand”, Cheema said “Punjabis are perturbed as to why Bhagwant Mann is attending repeated meetings called by the Punjab Governor to discuss re-affiliating colleges in Haryana with Panjab University. It seems this is being done under pressure of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal who is pressurising Mann to succumb to the demands being made by the Haryana government. The chief minister should stop attending all such meetings immediately.”

Asking the chief minister to “understand the real conspiracy at work”, Cheema said, “The Haryana government wants to make a comeback into Panjab University by affiliating its colleges with the institution. This will allow Haryana to have representation in the senate and syndicate, the governing bodies of the varsity. All this is designed to dilute Punjab’s right over Chandigarh.”