Punjab CM Mann says no to affiliation of Haryana colleges with Panjab University

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday rejected a proposal of affiliation of Haryana colleges with Panjab University, saying the Chandigarh-based university belongs to Punjab and will remain so. He also strongly objected to Haryana's offer of funding the varsity for restoration of the state's share in it, and asked his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar to set up a varsity in any part of his state. Mann was speaking after holding a meeting with Khattar over the matter. The meeting was also attended by Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and PU Vice Chancellor Renu Vig. The Haryana chief minister, however, hit out at Mann for remaining ''adamant'' regarding the matter and said the move is in the interest of students. ''Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh has always been connected with Punjab's legacy, heritage, emotions, culture and literature,'' Mann said while addressing the media after the meeting.

He also accused the neighbouring state of trying to gain indirect entry into the varsity. ''They want an indirect entry into the university which is connected with Punjab's emotions, literature and culture. We told them today that it is a clear no from our side. We cannot give affiliation to any Haryana college,'' he said.

PU belongs to Punjab and will remain so, he added.

According to a statement by the Haryana government, Khattar said in the meeting that in the interest of the students, colleges of his state should be given the option of affiliation with PU.

Both the states will proceed in a friendly manner, he added.

Khattar also said that along with the colleges in three districts -- Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar -- colleges in Punjab's Mohali and Rupnagar districts should also be given affiliation with PU.

The first meeting on the issue of affiliation of Haryana colleges was held on June 1 in which Punjab Governor Purohit had flagged the possibility of colleges in neighbouring Haryana to be affiliated with the Chandigarh-based university.

Mann said earlier, maintenance deficit grants to PU used to be shared and paid by Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh in the ratio of 20:20:20:40, respectively. But the then Haryana chief minister Bansi Lal on his own decided to withdraw the state's share from the PU and got Kurukshetra University in the state.

Himachal Pradesh also withdrew their share from the PU, he said.

At present, Punjab and Chandigarh bear the financial responsibility of maintenance deficit grants in the ratio of 40:60. Mann also slammed the then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for writing to former prime minister Manmohan Singh in August 2008 for giving no objection certificate for granting central status to PU.

Mann said his government had written two letters to Union ministers Amit Shah and Dharmendra Pradhan for retaining the PU's status as inter-state corporate body as envisaged in the Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966.

He said the Punjab Assembly had also passed a resolution in June last year to not alter the status of the PU.

Mann also stated that a Haryana Congress MLA in August 2022 had brought a resolution for affiliating Haryana colleges with the PU. During Monday's meeting, Mann said the Kurukshetra University (KU) was a good university and asked whether there was any shortage of staff or the teaching was not up to the level at the university.

On Haryana's offer of money for restoration of share, Mann said, ''I told them-- tomorrow you will say what is the rate of Punjab. I wonder if it is constitutional to say that one can restore the share with money.'' Mann also showed Haryana government's letter dated May 28 to vice chancellors of all universities, asking them to raise their own funds. On one hand, they say they do not have funds for its universities and on the other hand, they offer money for restoration of share (in PU), he said.

He said Haryana's proposal to bear the share of grants in PU is totally unacceptable and unwarranted too.

Mann also said that he was told that Bansi Lal had decided to withdraw the state's share from PU after he felt ''insulted'' as no chair was kept for him to sit at an event in which the Punjab chief minister was also present. Mann said the next meeting on this issue has been called on July 3, but his stand will remain the same.

Taking a dig at the Punjab governor's ''keen interest'' on the matter, he said only ''main office, BJP'' is not written outside the governor's house.

The Haryana government's statement said in the meeting it was apprised that the varsity has been facing financial crisis for years.

Chandigarh has 60 per cent share in the university and Punjab has 40 per cent share. In the last 10 years, the university received an average of Rs 200-300 crore per year from the Centre, it said.

While in the last 10 years only Rs 20-21 crore have been received from Punjab on an average per year, it claimed.

In the year 2020-21, an amount of Rs 39 crore was released by Punjab. Overall, the university gets only 7 to 14 per cent of the budget as against Punjab's share of 40 per cent, the statement added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)