Congress MP takes on CM on Central University issue, says Virbhadra is anti-Dehra

"It's absolutely shocking and intriguing how the chief minister has suddenly changed his stand for setting-up university campus near Dharamshala –when it is already approved that 75 per cent of university will be located at Dehra and rest 25 per cent in Dharamshala," said Rajya Sabha member Viplove Thakur.

The Central University campus row on Sunday turned bitter with sitting Congress MP and former minister Viplove Thakur taking on Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for doing a flip flop on setting up university campus in Dharamshala instead of Dehra.

“It’s absolutely shocking and intriguing how the chief minister has suddenly changed his stand for setting-up university campus near Dharamshala –when it is already approved that 75 per cent of university will be located at Dehra and rest 25 per cent in Dharamshala. Both places part of the Kangra district,” said Rajya Sabha member Viplove Thakur.

Till now, it was only BJP MP Anurag Thakur and former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal who had been at logger heads with Virbhadra Singh on the Central University issue. But this is the first time when a senior Kangra leader has also questioned the chief minister’s move.

Thakur, who was the PCC president earlier, said chief minister has adopted anti-Dehra stance to appease certain favourities in the party, who lack much standing on the ground and were misguiding the chief minister .

Sounding visibly upset over the developments, the Congress MP said it’s completely unfair on the part of chief minister to snatch away the Central University from Dehra—which has no industry and no major government establishment . “Dehra has always received a step-motherly treatment and this time it’s really unbearable to see how the government was handling a matter of utmost importance,” she said.

Thakur said a committee set-up by the HRD ministry had chosen the Dehra site for which forest clearance and land transfers have already been done. Thousands of youths have been expecting direct and indirect jobs if the campus was set-up .

“I am very much perturbed and hurt by the development. Since it’s the chief minister himself trying to deny the opportunity to Dehra by proposing campus near Dharamshala, it’s completely unacceptable. The people are very much agitated. There shouldn’t be any politics in larger decisions for the state’s development. Why people (close to chief minister) are forgetting that Dehra is also a part of Kangra district,” she reminded .

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Meanwhile chief minister, who addressed a public meeting at Raja-Ka-Talab in Kangra district today, reiterated his stand on consolidated campus of the central university at Jadrangal near Chamunda temple. The land has been selected and approved by Human Resource Ministry, he said adding that some associated colleges could be opened at some other place in Kangra district.

Later, the chief minister inaugurated a bridge on the Beas River completed with an outlay of Rs 780 crore connecting Riyali with Bhadukhar.

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