Cong accuses ex-Punjab Minister Bikram Majithia of role in Rs 3,000 crore education scam in Amritsar
Sukhjinder Lalli Majithia claimed that the Badals and the Majithias tried to take over land and properties of Khalsa College. The total cost of the land on which Amritsar Khalsa College and its property is estimated to be around Rs 3,000 crore.
Punjab Congress general secretary and former Khalsa College governing body member Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lalli Majithia on Thursday accused former Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia and his family members of being involved in an education scam worth Rs 3000 crore.
Sukhjinder Raj Singh claimed that the Badals and the Majithias had forcefully removed the then President of the Khalsa College Governing Council in 2004 and later formed their own body without holding any elections. Bikram Majithia had appointed his father Satyajit Singh Majithia as President, and Sukhbir Singh Badal, Harsimrat Kaur Badal (brother-in-law and sister), Asmanjas Kaur Majithia (mother), Gurmehar Singh (brother) and himself as the members of the governing council.
- Sukhjinder alleged that the Badals and the Majithias had floated the idea of the Khalsa University and appointed Bikram Singh Majithia's father Satyajit Singh Majithia as its chancellor and RSS leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chinna as its pro-chancellor.
- The body formed by the Badals and the Majithias, according to Sukhjinder, also tried to take over the land and properties of the Khalsa College, including Khalsa College of Education, Khalsa College for Women and Khalsa College of Pharmacy, but this move of theirs faced stiff opposition.
- "After forming the illegal bodies, they not only transferred the three colleges under the Khalsa University but also grabbed a 56-acre land situated on Khasra No 220, which is currently priced at Rs 364 crore. Bikram Majithia and his family members have been trying to convert the historic Khalsa College into a private university, despite the fact that the institution is already under the management of an autonomous body", Sukhjinder said.
- According to the general secretary of Congress' Punjab unit, the 337-acre land on which the Amritsar Khalsa College is situated is valued at around Rs 2,200 crore as the present market value of each acre is nearly Rs 6.5 crore.
- Apart from this, the institution also owns an additional 17-acre land, which is priced at Rs 1 lakh per acre. The cost of the heritage building of the college is estimated to be approximately Rs 200 crore. The total cost of the land and property is assessed to be around Rs 3,000 crore.
- Khalsa College was set up in 1904 by the then princely families of Patiala, Nabha, Faridkot, Kapurthala and Jind, besides others with the aim of providing educational facilities to the people of Punjab.
- The Khalsa College Society runs as much as 13 institutions, including colleges and schools.
- The Punjab Assembly on September 14,2016 had passed the Khalsa University Bill-2016. However, terming it an attempt to take over the prestigious institution, Congress had promised that it would scrap the Act when it formed the government.
- "We request the government to register an FIR against the people who allegedly defaced the heritage building and indulged in efforts to grab the Khalsa College Society land and buildings, besides scrapping the university act", Sukhjinder said.
- When contacted, Bikram Singh Majithia refused to comment on the issue.
Also read | In Kejriwal's Punjab rallies, Bikram Singh Majithia is like a Bollywood villain