Vice-Chancellor post was sold for Rs 40-50 cr in TN: Purohit

CHENNAI: Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit, who occupied the gubernatorial position in Tamil Nadu for four years, dropped a bombshell on Friday by stating that Vice-Chancellor posts in the State were being sold for Rs 40 crore to Rs 50 crore.

Besides raising serious questions about alleged corruption at the top in the higher education sector, the statement by Purohit, a BJP leader, is sure to embarrass the party’s ally in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK, which was in power for a decade – six years before he occupied the Raj Bhavan here and remaining four years during his tenure.

“I was Tamil Nadu Governor for four years. It was very bad there. In Tamil Nadu, the Vice-Chancellor post was sold for Rs 40 crore to Rs 50 crores,” Purohit said, adding that he appointed 27 V-Cs for the universities here as per law when he was the Governor.

The comment came during his war of words with the AAP government in Punjab over appointing Vice-Chancellors.

The trigger was Finance Minister HS Cheema’s comment that his party had the people’s mandate to rule and asked the Governor not to obstruct the government’s work. “I appeal to the Governor to not work for BJP but fulfil the responsibilities of the Constitution,” Minister Cheema said.

It was in reply to this comment that Purohit recalled his stint in Tamil Nadu, adding that the Punjab government should learn from him as to how work happens.

When he was the Governor, Purohit had held review meetings with officials leading to allegations by the then principal opposition party, DMK, which charged him of encroaching on the State government’s autonomy. The furore became louder after he appointed MK Surappa as the Vice Chancellor of Anna University – allegedly without consulting the State government.