Chandigarh: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday sought the intervention of Union ministers Amit Shah and Dharmendra Pradhan to prevent “any change in the nature and character of the Panjab University” here.
The state government’s move comes nearly a month after the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Centre to explore possibilities of converting Panjab University into a central varsity.
“The state government vehemently opposes any such move of Government of India to examine the feasibility of converting Panjab University into a central university,” wrote the chief minister in a letter to Union Home Minister Shah and Union Education Minister Pradhan, as per an official statement issued here on Sunday.
Mann apprised both the leaders that state government will not like any change in the nature and character of the university as it has an emotional place in the hearts of the people of Punjab on account of historical, cultural and provincial reasons.
The high court last month directed the Centre to examine the possibility of conversion of Panjab University into a central university.
“Let the decision taken by the Central Government, at least in principle, be placed before the court on the next date of hearing,” the high court had said on a plea by a former Panjab University teacher, and fixed August 30 as the next date of hearing in the case.
Mann bemoaned that for the past some time, “forces with certain vested interests have been trying to push the matter for change of status of Panjab University into a central university”.
Recently, many student bodies had held a protest in Chandigarh against any move to give central status to Panjab University.