category Regional, chandigarh, , tags Regional, chandigarh, , DW BUREAU chandigarh Former minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia today urged Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to censure chief minister Bhagwant Mann for misusing the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana to hold a political debate besides calling for an explanation from Vice Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal and dismissing varsity Dean, Students Welfare Dr Nirmal Jaura for moderating the event. In a letter to the Governor, Mr Bikram Majithia said the PAU was an autonomous varsity established under an Act of parliament. He asserted the Governor as its Chancellor as well as head of the Board of Management should take corrective steps and instill confidence in Punjabis that the august varsity would only be used for academic research in the field of agriculture and that political interference in its internal affairs would not be tolerated at any cost. He said accordingly the chief minister should be censured for misusing the PAU campus for political activities and advised not to do so in future. He said the chief minister should also be advised not to squander State funds amounting to Rs 30 crore -on self projection. An explanation should also be called from PAU vice chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal and he should be reprimanded for giving permission for this event. Dean, Student Welfare Dr Nirmal Jaura should be dismissed immediately for flouting the varsity rules. Mr Majithia said it was clear that a wrong precedent had been set by the University authorities by granting permission to AAP to hold a political event in the varsity s auditorium. It is clear that University vice chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal has flouted rules to give permission to this political exercise in the varsity. The VC knew from last month that a political debate was likely to be held on its campus with the chief minister making a statement to this effect. The VC was also aware that the debate would be entirely political and that the opposition would not attend the same as no sincere format had been spelled out to conduct an academic discussion on either the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal or other burning issues of the State. Dr Satbir Gosal was aware that the opposition would not attend the debate and that it would be relegated to a mere AAP propaganda exercise. Yet he did not withdraw permission for the same and in fact gave it legitimacy by welcoming the chief minister on stage at the event. The SAD leader also asserted that the PAU authorities not only gave permission to the AAP political event but even allowed Dean Student Welfare Dr Nirmal Jaura to moderate the event. A University official could not have been appointed moderator for the event as it is against the rules of the varsity. Dr Jaura s proximity with the chief minister is also a known fact even as the two have also worked together as performers in the past. Asserting that this was the first time in the 61 year old history of the University that the PAU had been used for a political debate, Mr Majithia said the University has never ever given permission to anyone to hold a political event on its campus . He said various former vice chancellors had come on record and disclosed how they denied permissions for holding political events in the varsity s campus to a former chief minister as well as a prime minister. Majithia said the programme itself was a purely AAP show and witnessed the chief minister taking the stage alone to indulge in a malicious slander campaign against his political opponents. There was no discussion on agriculture research, agriculture policies or the problems being faced by the peasantry, including farmer suicides. No agricultural or economic expert was invited to the debate which was deliberately converted into a one man monologue by mischievously keeping the opposition out of it . He said the audience also consisted of AAP supporters with each AAP legislator being given thirty passes. Civil society was also kept out with the Punjab Police creating Emergency like conditions and even putting heads of Kisan organizations, unions and social activists under house arrest to prevent them from reaching the University to become part of the debate. (editor dailyworld.in)