Chandigarh: Former Punjab chief minister and Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday defended his decision to skip the recent Congress Working Committee meeting, saying he had obtained permission from the party high command to appear in his MA in public administration exam, which he described as the culmination of his latest academic pursuit.Speaking to media after appearing for his final exam, Channi said he had informed the party high command in advance and sought permission to appear in the examination. “CWC meetings take place regularly. I had written to the high command and sought permission to appear in my examination,” he said.Channi said a large number of party leaders had attended the meeting and another meeting would be held in due course. However, missing the examination, he said, could have delayed the completion of his degree by an entire year and consequently postponed his planned research work. “If I had missed the paper, my degree would have been delayed by one year, and the research work I am planning would also have been delayed,” he said.He added he was proud of his long association with Panjab University, Chandigarh, where he had pursued several academic programmes over the years. He said he had now sat for 20 exams as part of his MA in public administration, with the results of three recently taken papers awaited.Channi said he had scored 74% in the previous semester and was looking forward to completing the course. “I am proud of this because I am a student of Panjab University, Chandigarh. I have studied here throughout my academic journey,” he said, referring to his academic qualifications, including degrees in political science, management and law, besides his PhD.He said his next academic focus would be research on policy reforms, particularly on ways to put Punjab back on the path of development.Significantly, Channi said his years away from active political responsibilities had given him time to study and reflect on governance and policy issues. He said he wanted to work on reforms aimed at reducing corruption in govt and ensuring that the benefits of the welfare state reached the middle class and the poor more effectively.Outlining his vision for Punjab, the former chief minister said the Congress would present a governance model focused on major reforms, including free education and healthcare. Channi added his proposed research would focus on policy reforms and development-oriented governance.
