Captain barges into Khalsa College, warns against setting up university

Thursday, 18/02/2016

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AMRITSAR: Punjab Congress chief and local MP Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday barged into the Khalsa College here and warned its governing council against going ahead with the project of converting it into Khalsa University.

Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh at Khalsa College in Amritsar on Wednesday.

The college authorities had blocked the main gate; security guards and heavy police force were deployed to ensure that Amarinder didn’t enter the college premises. But, he entered from Gate No 2 and slammed the Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) saying its president Satyajit Singh Majithia had his own agenda.

Talking to the media, Amarinder said, “I strongly oppose the governing council’s move. What is the logic behind setting up a university when we have Guru Nanak Dev University next door? Why can’t they set up a university anywhere else in Punjab? The GNDU shares a common wall with Khalsa College and I fail to understand why they want to undermine the GNDU. I feel it is just an effort to take control of things.”

The former CM alleged that the motive of the Majithias and Badals appeared to be to undermine the GNDU and build their private university for personal gains.

Warning the management, Amarinder said, “In case the Akali government decides to use its majority to go ahead with passing an act for the university in the Vidhan Sabha, the Congress government would repeal the act in 2017 and restore the college’s heritage status.”

Recalling his personal as well as his family’s association with Khalsa College, Amarinder said, “While my grandfather Maharaja Bhupinder Singh and father Maharaja Yadavinder Singh were its chancellors from 1927 to 1952, I was its chancellor between 1972 and 1978. It is not me or my family alone, every Punjabi has a sentimental association with the college, which is one of the exceptional symbols of our great and glorious heritage.”

He said, “Like the Badals destroyed the government transport in Punjab to promote their private transport companies, now they are planning to undermine the GNDU to promote their private university for petty and pecuniary gains.”

Amarinder said, “It was my first visit to Khalsa College and certainly not the last. If required, I will hold a protest and use all legal, democratic and constitutional means to save the great institute.”