Will he, won’t he… Puar extension still hot topic

PATIALA, May 12: The race for the post of vice-chancellor of Punjabi University has hotted up as the present Vice-Chancellor, Dr Joginder...

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PATIALA, May 12: The race for the post of vice-chancellor of Punjabi University has hotted up as the present Vice-Chancellor, Dr Joginder Singh Puar, completes his second three-year tenure on May 15.

From the half-a-dozen contenders in the race about a week back, only three to four contenders are in the fray now. Strong contenders for the post are Darshan Singh, former head of Guru Nanak Sikh Studies Department of Punjab University, and Dr Kehar Singh, a professor in the Department of Political Science, Punjabi University.

Another contender for the post is Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, now chairman of Punjab School Education Board. While supporters of Dr Joginder Singh Puar say that he would get one year’s extension, a source close to Puar told The Indian Express that he was not in the race and had opted out. Puar has also not been sounded out by anybody in the government and has already begun packing, the sourcee revealed.

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This source said that it illogical and improbable that a person appointed as vice-chancellor by Congress chief minister late Beant Singh, and who managed to get an extension during Harcharan Singh Brar’s chief ministership — another Congress CM — could get an extension during the Akali regime.

According to information available today, several senior Akali leaders besides Proj Manjit Singh, Jathedar of Takht Keshgarh Sahib, were lobbying for Dr Kehar Singh, who is also a former president of the Punjabi University Teachers’ Association. Sources said that Kehar Singh enjoys the backing of several of the chief minister’s supporters including Balwinder Singh Bhundre, a Rajya Sabha member. Darshan Singh is a Sikh scholar, considered close to the Badal camp. and some senior Akali leaders are pleading his case. J.S. Ahluwalia is close to chief minister and was recently appointed chairman of the Punjab School Education Board. So the government may not like to shift him so soon, sources told The Indian Express.

But the major factor against Puar, his supporters feel, is that the state government may not give extension to a person who has reportedly been indicted by a vigilance inquiry on alleged irregularities in the holding of the Indian Science Congress in Punjabi University.