Centre’s PU shake-up sparks firestorm, Opposition calls it ‘dictatorial’

The Centre’s historic move to dissolve the 59-year-old elected Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University (PU) has snowballed into a political storm, with Opposition parties across Punjab calling it “illegal, dictatorial and an assault on democracy”.

A day after The Tribune first reported the decision, the Union Ministry of Education issued an official gazette notification, signed by Higher Education Joint Secretary Rina Sonowal Kouli, reconstituting the university’s top decision-making bodies and formally ending their election-based structure.

The BJP-led Central Government defended the overhaul as a long-overdue reform to depoliticise the university’s functioning and ensure academic autonomy. But the Opposition has called it an “unprecedented assault” on Punjab’s pride and on one of the oldest universities of the subcontinent, founded in Lahore in 1882 and re-established in Chandigarh in 1966.

What it means

From ballots to nominations: The university’s democratic system of elected representation gives way to a fully nominated regime

Centre gains control: For the first time, the Centre and UT officials dominate the university’s apex bodies

Punjab’s stake diluted: State leaders call it an erosion of Punjab’s say in an institution born from its legacy

Academic vs political debate: The Centre claims it’s ending politicisation; critics call it a political takeover in academic guise

Historic shift: Marks the most sweeping governance change in PU’s history since its 1966 re-establishment

Under the new framework, the Graduate constituency has been abolished and the strength of the Senate slashed from 90 to 31, including 24 nominated and seven ex-officio members. The Chandigarh MP, Chief Secretary and the Education Secretary have been included as ex-officio members for the first time. The Syndicate will now be headed by the Vice-Chancellor and include senior officials from both Punjab and Chandigarh, besides nominees of the Chancellor and the Centre.

The Centre invoked its powers under Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, to notify sweeping changes in the Panjab University Act, 1947, sparking a barrage of protests.

Congress MP from Chandigarh and former Union Minister Manish Tewari led the charge, terming the move “patently illegal and a legal travesty”. He argued that the PU Act of 1947, passed by the then East Punjab Legislative Assembly, could only be amended by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. “What has to be done directly cannot and should not be done indirectly,” he said, warning that the Centre’s action subverted federal principles and legislative propriety.

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains called it a “brazen attack on Punjab’s pride and intellect”, dubbing the Centre’s action “political vandalism”. He said, “This reckless move tramples on Punjab’s autonomy, academic freedom and constitutional rights. The Centre wants to handpick its favourites and convert this venerable university into a political playground.” Bains vowed to challenge the move “in every democratic and legal forum”.

Backing him, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema described the notification as “dictatorial” and “a deliberate attempt to centralise education”. He accused the BJP of harbouring “animus against Punjab, Punjabi language and its institutions”. Cheema warned, “This is political vengeance–an attempt to replace Punjab’s elected voice with a handpicked elite.”

Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan also condemned the dissolution, saying, “This is not reform, but political sabotage.” He warned that the decision “will have far-reaching consequences and erode the country’s federal structure.”

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal termed the move “a blow to democratic education”. He said the change “marked a disturbing turn away from participatory governance” and accused the Centre of tightening “ideological control over education”.

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring went further, warning the Centre “not to play with fire”. He alleged, “This is a shameless attempt to saffronise Panjab University according to the RSS rulebook. Punjabis will not tolerate this hijack of their historic institution.”

Congress MLA and former minister Pargat Singh accused both the BJP and AAP governments of collusion, saying, “The AAP government has acted as the BJP’s B-team, fully supporting every central takeover plan, including this one.”

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) also joined the chorus of protest, calling the move “an encroachment on Punjab’s heritage” and “a violation of the university’s federal spirit”.

While political tempers flared, senior government officials defended the move as “a long-pending structural correction” intended to make the university’s governance more efficient and academically driven. They pointed out that the changes were based on the recommendations of a committee formed in 2021 by then Vice-President and PU Chancellor M Venkaiah Naidu, which submitted its report in 2022.

With the new Vice-President and Chancellor CP Radhakrishnan approving the reforms, the Centre insists the reconstitution is “legal, logical and necessary”. But in Punjab’s political corridors, the issue has opened a new front of confrontation between the Centre’s claim of reform and the state’s cry of “encroachment”.

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