New Delhi: The department of economics and politics at the Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal has put on hold a lecture by economist and professor Prabhat Patnaik. While the department has not mentioned why it has put the lecture, which Patnaik said would have delved into economy and its links with fascism, on hold, it is being linked with the former JNU professor’s fierce criticism of the Narendra Modi government.
Patnaik, who lives in Delhi but is currently abroad, told The Telegraph that someone from the university called him to inform him that the second Ashok Rudra Memorial Lecture, which had been scheduled for March 12, has been postponed. “Then I sent them a mail to confirm and I was informed that they are not holding it right now,” he said.
The memorial lecture was instituted by the department of economics and politics of the central university last year under the special assistance programme of the University Grants Commission.
Unidentified sources told The Telegraph that the decision to withhold the lecture was taken by the board of studies of the department. “Everything for the lecture was ready…. Then came a verbal instruction from the authorities and it had to be withheld without giving a fresh date,” sources told the newspaper.
Sources also told the newspaper that the university had already utilised all the funds granted under the special assistance programme before March 31. “Our programme was on March 12. A fresh date cannot be obtained this financial year. It has to be done next fiscal and we would have to wait for funds, which means it’s postponed indefinitely,” explained the source.
According to The Telegraph, Visva Bharati’s vice chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty was unavailable for comment, while the univeristy’s public relations officer Anirban Sircaris on leave. An officer who is filling in for Sircar said he did not have any information on the issue.
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Earlier this month, the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, one of the country’s top design schools, postponed its annual convocation day citing “unforeseen circumstances”, an unprecedented step. Reports had suggested that it may have been because the chief guest for the event was well-known dancer Mallika Sarabhai, who has also been a vocal critic of Modi and has opposed the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Six top bureaucrats from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry are on NID’s management committee.
The Sarabhai family has closely been associated with the institute since its inception in 1961. As The Wire has reported, it was initially set up with the help of the Ford Foundation and Sarabhai’s parents, Mrinalini, also a dancer, and Vikram, a scientist. Mallika Sarabhai was also on the board of the institute.
Speaking to The Wire, Sarabhai said that she had not been given any reason for the sudden cancellation.