AAP Lok Sabha MP Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal stated that the choice “stomps on Punjab’s hard-won autonomy and constitutional privileges.”
The Centre’s choice to reorganize Panjab University’s governing bodies by substituting the elected Senate and Syndicate with appointed members has sparked significant political backlash in Punjab, with multiple parties claiming that this action directly undermines the state’s constitutional power and academic independence.
Labeling the choice as “unprecedented and undemocratic,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) charged the Central government with trying to seize control of a historic institution that has operated within a democratic framework for more than sixty years
AAP Lok Sabha MP Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal stated that the choice “stomps on Punjab’s hard-won autonomy and constitutional privileges.”
“This thoughtless action by the government is a clear attack on the essence of Punjab.” “The electorate chose their representatives in the recent Senate elections, but because the BJP couldn’t win support at the polls, it now aims to select its preferred candidates and turn the university into a political arena,” Chabbewal stated.
He stated that the Punjab government would investigate all legal and constitutional options to contest what he described as an effort to “suppress dissent and undermine the state’s rights.”
Former Minister Joginder Singh Maan, Daljit Raju, and AAP spokesperson Harji Maan voiced these worries, claiming that the Centre was following a politically driven agenda.
“Dismantling the Senate and Syndicate and substituting them with appointed members is a blatant effort by the BJP and RSS to seize control of a historic national institution and infuse it with saffron ideology,” they stated.
Phagwara MLA Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal didn’t hold back—he called out Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for staying silent and warned that this move brings serious legal and constitutional trouble. Dhaliwal called the Centre’s decision “patently illegal and a legal travesty.”
He insisted that only the Punjab Vidhan Sabha can change the Panjab University Act of 1947. “What has to be done directly cannot and should not be done indirectly,” Dhaliwal said. He made it clear—any attempt to cut corners on constitutional procedure will face strong resistance.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) jumped in, too. Party leader Ranjit Singh Khurana said this isn’t new—the Centre keeps chipping away at Punjab’s rights. “Chandigarh, river waters, the Bhakra Beas Management Board, and now Panjab University—the Centre keeps undermining Punjab’s authority and interests,” Khurana said.
The Centre hasn’t explained the reasoning behind the restructuring yet, but the announcement has already fired up old arguments about who really controls Panjab University—an institution that’s always been tied to Punjab’s academic and cultural landscape. With tension rising, legal experts expect a long fight ahead, as opposition parties gear up to challenge the move in court and out in the open.
