Amartya Sen expresses concern about democracy in India

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen expressed concern about democracy in India. Sen’s query, in a personal communication with a Visva-Bharati academic, comes amidst stormy sessions in the Parliament, and the court pronouncement concerning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, that triggered his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

Sudipta Bhattacharyya, a professor at the university, said that he received the email on Saturday. In the email, Sen enquired if it was true that the leader of the opposition in the country cannot any longer oppose. “Generally, our conversation is restricted to affairs of Shantiniketan. This came in as unusual, but shows that he is thinking about Indian democracy,” Bhattacharyya said.

Sen, at present abroad, and Visva-Bharati University have lately been into an argument, with the university claiming that a portion of land in his possession is unauthorised.

Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu, on her two-day tour to West Bengal, is also scheduled to visit Shantiniketan on Tuesday, where she will attend a convocation at the Visva-Bharati university.