West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday that she had not been invited to mark the start of the centenary celebrations of Visva Bharati University on Thursday, and also accused the Central university of insulting Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.
“When did they invite me…For today’s foundation day, there was no invitation, no phone…I want to thank those who have nurtured the institution for 100 years. Those who at helm of affairs today they are temporary, their days are numbered,” Ms. Banerjee said, addressing journalists at the State Secretariat. She said that the university authorities had sought time to meet her during her visit to Bolpur later next week but she could not give them time.
Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi referring to a connection between Gujarat and Rabindranath Tagore at the virtual inauguration of the centenary celebrations, she said that his language itself proved there was “political intention”. She dubbed the event as a “political event” and a “ BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) event”.
Ms. Banerjee also referred to a development where the Visva Bharati named Nobel laureate Amartya Sen among “unauthorised occupants” of land in Santiniketan and sent a letter to the West Bengal government in this regard.
“Do you really believe that Amartya Sen will occupy land? He is the pride of Bengal. It is unfortunate that he is being targeted. I seek to apologise to him,” Ms. Banerjee said. She called upon all intellectuals of Bengal to come out in protest against the development. She added that since Professor Sen was being targeted as he was opposed to the policies of the BJP.
“It is our misfortune that uncouth language is being used against our icons...Vidyasagar’s statue was vandalised, they changed Tagore’s place of birth by saying he was born in Santiniketan ...what do they want? [Do] they want to change Bengal’s history?” Ms. Banerjee said.
BJP rebuts
A number of State BJP leaders, including party MPs, tweeted a letter sent by the Visva Bharati University on December 4, inviting the Chief Minister to participate in the event to mark the beginning of the centenary celebrations.
“Dirty politics everywhere, @MamataOfficial? She has insulted the legacy of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, by not attending the Visva-Bharati celebrations even after receiving the invitation! She is slowly strangulating everything “Sonar Bangla” stood for! #MamataInsultsGurudev,” the State unit of the BJP tweeted.
