Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, on PUC AU appointment, reiterated that the it was completely “illegal” and that he would be seeking a legal opinion in the matter. Moreover, this comes a day after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann questioned governor’s “authority” for ordering the removal of Punjab Agricultural University Vice Chancellor Prof Satbir Singh Gosal.
In a statement to the media, the governor insisted that the state government had no legal authority to meddle with colleges’ operations. “The government is unnecessarily giving my constitutional duties a political hue. The Governor’s job description includes a direct connection to university administration. Universities are required to submit a panel of three names to the Chancellor for the appointment of a Vice Chancellor, according to a clear regulation,” said governor Banwarilal Purohit.
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Moreover, the political tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party government of Punjab and the state governor seems rising now. While the Punjab government argues that Prof Satbir Singh Gosal’s appointment was completely legal, governor Banwarilal Purohit has already claimed that it’s the violation of rules, and now he is all set to seek legal opinion in the matter.
The CM had yesterday argued that the Governor had “no role to play” in the choice of the VC. The letter released by CM Mann to the media, states, “The 1970 Punjab and Haryana Agricultural University Act was the basis of the appointment . The PAU Board has the authority to decide. The CM or the Governor have no involvement in it.”
Furthermore, CM Mann claimed that the people of Punjab are “extremely dissatisfied” because “you (governor Banwarilal Purohit) have been continually interfering” in the operation of the government, which was elected with a thumping majority by the people of the state. “Today, the Punjabis are upset with all these happenings,” he further stated. However, the governor has also been strongly keeping his points.
“I was the Chancellor of 20 universities during my 4-year tenure as the governor of Tamil Nadu. Additionally, I was an important part of the whole process into the appointment of 27 VCs. The government of Punjab should learn from my experience,” said the governor.
“At that time, I learnt that the VC post can even be sold for ₹40 to 50 crore,” he further stated. Moreover, the war of words between CM Bhagwant Mann and governor Banwarilal Purohit seems to increase with such developments. Furthermore, it would be interesting to see what happens next.
