Chandigarh, (IANS) Two students of the Panjab University (PU) here Tuesday were invited by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to come to New Delhi Nov 5 for discussions on the issue of granting central status to this varsity.

Gandhi interacted with over 350 students of PU Oct 13.

During the interaction, Shivani Negi and Barinder Dhillon raised the long-pending issue of granting central status to the PU, one of the oldest in the country.

'It is just like a dream come true for me. I am feeling very confident and looking forward to a healthy discussion with Rahul Gandhi and other leaders,' said Negi, who is a PU student of mass communications.

'It was a big surprise for me when I got a call and the person on the other side said that Rahul Gandhi wanted to meet me in New Delhi,' she added.

During the interaction, Gandhi admitted he was not aware about the issue and promised the students that he would fix a meeting with Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal in New Delhi on the issue.

Gandhi had also taken the mobile number and e-mail address of these two students.

'I have got a rare opportunity to meet this great leader, who has all the potential required to change the face of Indian politics. I will try my level best to do justice to my meeting, by putting the issue of central status before him and other authorities,' said Dhillon, a law student and a student leader of PU.

Dhillon briefed Gandhi on the issue during his visit here.

Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) is pressing for central status for the last many years. However, the Punjab government is against this proposal as it feels it would lose control over the PU if central status is granted to it.

PU is also the alma mater of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He also taught here and reached the post of professor at the young age of 32 while teaching here.

Singh is also visiting the PU campus and Post-graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here Nov 3.

-- IANS