Punjab Congress urges EC, Governor not to allow Badal govt to approve CT university in violation of norms

Chandigarh, December 3, 2016: Amid reports that the Punjab government cabinet will on Monday push through an ordinance to approve the setting up of a controversial private university by Jalandhar-based CT Group of Institutions, the Punjab Congress has urged the Election Commission to intervene and put an immediate stop to such blatant violation of norms ahead of the polls.

They also urged the Governor not to ratify any such ordinance, adding that the proposed move by the Badal government was completely against set educational norms and clearly aimed at promoting certain vested interests with an eye on the coming Assembly polls.

The state government has thrown all norms to the wind in trying to push through one ordinance after another, said the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), in a statement issued here.

Pointing out that the proposed private university, which the Badals were now trying to push through in such an underhand manner before the polls, did not comply with even basic conditions, PPCC leaders Tejinder Bittu, Jagbir Brar, Rajinder Berry said the entire affair was clearly motivated by political interests of certain Akali leaders.

They cited earlier media reports to point out that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had ratified the creation of the private university due to a push by the state’s higher education minister Surjit Singh Rakhra. Rakhra had appended a 2-page note on the file favouring the creation of CT University at Ludhiana, which Badal had counter-signed. In the note, Rakhra had urged the chief minister to allow the creation of the university waiving off various policy conditions.

What is more, said the PPCC leaders, the state government’s 8-member high-powered committee had refused permission to start the university since the CT Educational Society was yet to fulfil the key conditions. Yet, the government was reportedly going ahead with the permission through the ordinance route in complete disregard of the committee’s directive and in total violation of all norms, they said.