Jalandhar: The recent Rajya Sabha nomination of Satnam Singh Sandhu, educationist and the founder chancellor of Chandigarh University, a private varsity in Mohali, Punjab, is being discussed not only among the corporate-political lobby but also among farmers’ unions. Most of the unions are part of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which fought against the now-repealed three farm laws.
Satnam Singh Sandhu was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President of India Draupadi Murmu on January 30, a move which caught everybody’s attention, as it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the first person to congratulate him on X on his achievement. He is followed by PM Modi on X, earlier Twitter.
Hailing from a small village Rasulpur in Ferozepur district, Sandhu comes from a family of farmers.
Not many people know that Satnam Sandhu’s brother Furman Singh Sandhu is the president of Bharti Kisan Union, Punjab, which is a member of SKM, that led the farmers’ protest and forced the Modi government to repeal the three farm laws in 2021. An elated Furman Sandhu said that all the 32 farmer unions under the SKM have congratulated him on his brother’s stupendous rise.
About Satnam Singh Sandhu:
A typical rags to riches story, Sandhu has been a staunch follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So much so that all his social media accounts were flooded with photographs and videos of PM Modi and his policies.
He was also running two NGOs namely – the Indian Minorities Foundation and the New India Foundation (NID) – both based in Delhi, aimed at promoting the Modi government’s initiatives and communal harmony. Sandhu has been leading different philanthropic works and providing financial assistance to many students.
As a child, he struggled to attain education but he grew up to become the president of Guru Nanak College in Moga district. During his struggle days, he along with his friends even ran a car sale purchase business, which yielded good results opening doors to further opportunities. As per Sukh Gill Moga, a farmer leader, Satnam Sandhu also remained close to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and ex-minister Jathedar Tota Singh, who taught him lessons in politics and public service.
Sandhu launched the Chandigarh Group of Colleges at Landran village in Mohali district near Chandigarh in 2001. Later he formed Chandigarh University in 2012. Within a span of 10 years, Chandigarh University found a place in QS World Rankings 2023, making it first among private universities in Asia.
Notably, Chandigarh University hit the national headlines in 2022, when a female hosteller was arrested over complaints by fellow hostellers that she had been recording their videos in the hostel washrooms.
Furman Singh Sandhu, president of BKU, Punjab lauds PM Modi
While Satnam Singh Sandhu was not available for comments despite repeated attempts by The Wire, his brother Furman Singh Sandhu spoke at length about various issues.
Satnam Singh Sandhu with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo X (Twitter)/@narendramodi.
Talking to The Wire, Furman Singh said that it was a matter of pride that PM Modi sent his brother to Rajya Sabha, who was the son of a farmer, a Sikh face and came from a poor background. “If PM Modi is doing something good, I think, we should appreciate him. He expressed his large heartedness and repealed the three farm laws. My brother has also written a book on PM Modi’s initiatives and the way he has been working for the welfare of the Sikhs in the country, it is worth lauding, he said.
However, when asked that he was a member of SKM and the farmer leaders were gearing up for the February 13 protest at Delhi against the Modi government, he said, “We will rethink. PM Modi has honored my brother and our family. I am with my brother. In fact all the 32 farmer union bodies have congratulated us on this achievement. Moreover, it is not important to hold protests, one can get their demands fulfilled by being in the government too.”
Furman Singh said earlier that BKU Punjab president Bhupinder Singh Mann was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha. He said that all farmer union leaders have different ideologies and they had never interfered with anybody’s choice of vote.
“Even the India bloc has many comrades in it. They are political too. They will be going across the country to convey that PM Modi was not good for the country, then what? Look how Modi took difficult decisions for the betterment of the country – demonetisation, abrogation of Article 370 and the construction of the Ram Mandir. These are big achievements,” he listed.
To a query that minorities were under attack and Sikhs were quite often branded as Khalistanis and terrorists by the BJP leaders, Furman Sandhu said, “Such small issues keep on happening. When it comes to law and order, one has to take strict decisions. There are many anti-India forces, which try to weaken the country and Modi has been acting against them.”
Interestingly, during the farmers’ protest Furman Singh Sandhu was one among those farmer union leaders who led campaigns across the country telling people to vote for anyone except the BJP. Furman had been critical of the BJP and its oppressive approach towards the farmers in the country.
SKM responds
An SKM leader requesting anonymity said Furman Singh Sandhu led the farmers’ protest at Delhi borders and he is a member of the SKM.
He said that this move has come at a time when farmers led by SKM (Apolitical) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher from Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) were gearing up for the February 13 protest at Delhi.
“We have been observing all these developments. The Modi government wants to create division and confusion within the SKM through this move. We will have to rethink this, as Furman is a member of SKM,” he said.
The SKM leader also shared that during farmers’ protest, the agitated farmers had got a Modi government’s event at Chandigarh University cancelled at the last minute.
Political observers question nomination
Notably, this is not the first time that the chancellor of a private varsity was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Earlier the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government in Punjab had nominated Lovely Professional University (LPU), Phagwara founder chancellor Ashok Mittal to the Rajya Sabha, which had led to major debate in the public.
Many political observers were of the view that the rise of private universities and corporate culture was in sync with the corporate style of Indian politics these days.
Talking to The Wire, professor of political science from Panjab University, Chandigarh Professor Khalid Mohammed said that one should see the spirit of the constitution, which says that the person can be from any field but he or she should be neutral.
“Over the years, the Rajya Sabha has become politically dead. It became a house, where either those who lost elections or those who aligned with the government in power were getting nominated. In Satnam Sandhu’s case, it is an example of a corporate and political lobby. The centuries old Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh is a name to reckon with and has been performing far better than Chandigarh University but how many people from the PU were nominated to the Rajya Sabha?” he said.
Khalid said that the government could have considered renowned scientists, scholars, researchers, and academicians from Punjab, who have decades of excellent work to their credit for the Rajya Sabha but the government’s idea is to promote private institutions. “Satnam Sandhu made it big in life by raising a private university but his rise in this field and the support for government in power was intermixed. It definitely raises a question,” he added.
Renowned Sociologist from Panjab University, Chandigarh Professor Manjit Singh said that it is hardly a secret that the BJP has been desperately trying to rope in Sikh faces into its party fold in Punjab.
“Though Satnam Singh Sandhu has been nominated to Rajya Sabha by the President of India, he has been promoting Modi and the BJP on all his social media accounts. After his nomination, among those who first congratulated him was PM Modi. Let us not forget that whatever BJP does, it is political in every sense. Sandhu’s nomination, despite having been done by the President of India, is nothing but a political move of the BJP,” he said.
Professor Manjit also said that there were many renowned Sikh figures, scientists and educationists from renowned universities of Punjab, who could have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha. “When PM or President of India start visiting private universities, it gives legitimacy to private and corporate institutions. It is harsh truth that political parties need huge money to contest elections and supporting private ventures helps them in furthering their agendas,” he added.
