‘Better off’ without your blessings, Visva-Bharati tells Mamata

The central university said Mamata ‘sees’ through her ears as she believes and comments based on what ‘sycophants’ tell her

The Visva-Bharati University, in a strongly-worded press statement, has offered a tough take on claims put forth by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee concerning the running of the central university at Shantiniketan, in Birbhum district of West Bengal.

The statement written in Bengali, signed by the university’s public relations officer Mahua Banerjee, said that the university is better off without the CM's blessings, as the institution is accustomed to treading on the path shown by the prime minister.

Banerjee, who has been in the region during the last few days, had on Tuesday spoken to a few students, after which she alleged that the university administration is busy suspending students, some students are facing under-marking, and teachers are being terminated from their jobs.

Banerjee had said that the state government will be in touch with the students, teachers, and officials of the university. “We will decide the future course of action after deliberation and discussion,” a party release quoted her as saying.

The university statement, in exceptionally strong language, said that West Bengal’s chief minister ‘sees’ through her ears as she believes and comments based on what ‘sycophants’ tell her. The university also presented its own take on the students, and the teacher, the chief minister had met.

The statement requests the chief minister not to ‘see’ through her ears but to think intelligently. The statement urged the chief minister not to provoke the students and teachers (who seek patronage) into treading the wrong path but to build opinions based on facts and evidence.

Banerjee, on Tuesday, had cautioned that while she is not in favour of interference in the daily running of the university, but “if anybody thinks that they will bulldoze students, professors, employees for saffronisation by force”, then she will stand with the students.

On Monday, Banerjee had met economist Amartya Sen and handed over land records pertaining to his residence. The university in a communication with Sen had asked him to hand over the patch of land which is not part of the officially approved plot of the Nobel laureate.

Kunal Ghosh, Trinamool spokesperson, responding to the statement, stated in a tweet that as the university claims it follows the path shown by the prime minister and not one shown by Rabindranath Tagore, this makes it evident that this is a political note prepared in a BJP domain.