No delay from Raj Bhawan in appointment of univ V-C: HP Guv

Shimla: After reports of an ongoing row between the Governor and Chief Minister in the neighboring state of Punjab, the peaceful state of Himachal Pradesh seems to be experiencing a spill-over of an unusual ‘war of nerves’ between two constitutional entities.

On Thursday, Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla invited media persons to Raj Bhawan, just a day after his return from New Delhi, and spoke about how a cabinet minister in the Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu government had tried to drag Raj Bhawan into a controversy.

The controversy, sparked by Agriculture minister Chander Kumar, relates to a bill pending with the Governor concerning the appointment of the vice-chancellor of Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University, Palampur in Kangra district.

The matter has been hanging in the balance for some time, even as the state government has moved to curtail or nullify the role of the Governor, who is also the chancellor of all three government universities, in matters relating to the appointments of VCs.

The Governor took exception to a statement made by Chander Kumar criticizing Raj Bhawan for the impasse on the appointment of the vice-chancellor. “It’s highly unfair to drag Raj Bhawan into controversy with unverified and irresponsible statements,” said Shukla, while clarifying that the issue of the search committee for the appointment of the vice-chancellor was not pending at Raj Bhawan. “The file is with the government as I have raised some queries.”

“There is no such matter pending with Raj Bhawan, even though the state government has amended the University Act to suggest names for the vice-chancellor,” he added.