Controversy erupts over GNDU VC's interaction with RSS Chief; Punjab Opposition slams AAP Govt for 'ideological takeover'; Watch Video
Babushahi Bureau
Amritsar (Punjab), August 1, 2025 – A video showing Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) Vice-Chancellor Dr. Karamjeet Singh reportedly bowing and briefing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has ignited a political firestorm in Punjab, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition Congress leaders who accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of enabling ideological infiltration into the state’s academic institutions.
The footage, reportedly from an education conference held in Mysuru on July 28, has triggered intense backlash on social media and among political circles.
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The event—titled ‘Gyan Sabha – Education for Viksit Bharat’—was organized jointly by Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham at the BN Bahadur Institute of Management Sciences. It was centered around the vision of education's role in building a developed India.
Reacting strongly to the visuals, Punjab Congress MLA and former Olympian Pargat Singh took to X (formerly Twitter), expressing deep concern over what he termed as an “abject display” of ideological submission.
“When Guru Nanak Dev University’s Vice-Chancellor is seen abjectively explaining things to the RSS Chief, it raises serious questions. It shows how the @AamAadmiParty government in Punjab has helped the RSS to take control of the entire education system, including universities,” he wrote.
Echoing the sentiment, Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, condemned the act as "shameful" and accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal of acting as facilitators of the RSS agenda. “The GNDU VC bowing before RSS chief isn’t just shameful—it’s a symbol of how education in Punjab is being hijacked. Kejriwal, a closet Sanghi, and Bhagwant Mann are enabling RSS infiltration into our universities. @AamAadmiParty is @BJP4India’s B-team. Stop this ideological takeover,” Bajwa posted.
While the AAP government has not issued an official response so far, the incident has opened a new front in the ongoing ideological battle in Punjab’s education sector.
Critics fear a larger attempt to “saffronise” education, while supporters of the event argue it was a national-level academic forum aimed at fostering dialogue on development.