The Visva-Bharati University (VBU) authorities on Wednesday cancelled a virtual lecture on ‘Why BJP failed to win West Bengal Assembly election’ by Niti Aayog Joint Advisor Sanjay Kumar hours after announcing it.
The lecture, titled ‘Why BJP failed to win West Bengal Assembly Elections’” was scheduled to be addressed by Niti Aayog Joint Advisor Prof Sanjay Kumar virtually on May 18, was part of the Visva-Bharati Lecture Series and vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty was scheduled to preside over the programme. A notice inviting people to attend the lecture on May 18 was posted on the central university’s website earlier in the day. However, the authorities withdrew the notice from its website in the afternoon.
“Due to some unavoidable circumstances, this 35th lecture is treated to be as cancelled for the time being” was added to the notice.
Authorities of Visva-Bharati University were not available for comment.
From the scrapping of the annual “Poush Mela [winter fair]” to declaring Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen one of the illegal occupants of land belonging to the university, VBU Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty has invited a lot of criticism since assuming charge in 2018
Visva-Bharati University was founded by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in 1921. It is one of the oldest central universities in the country. In May 1951, Visva-Bharati University was declared to be a central university and ‘an Institution of National Importance’ by an Act of Parliament. The PM is the Chancellor of this university.
A university teacher claimed that the move to hold a lecture on such a subject showed the “political leaning of the varsity authorities”.
