WB Guv Dhankhar says 'Visva Bharati should not be dragged into political controversy'

In the wake of ongoing political mudslinging in view of the Visva Bharati University centenary celebrations, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has said that the university founded by Rabindranath Tagore should not be dragged into political controversy while adding that complete autonomy should be given to the university.

"The university should not be dragged into a political controversy. Those who want to put Visva Bharati University into a controversy, I appeal to them to give total autonomy to the institution and the Vice-Chancellor," said Dhankhar while speaking to the media.

Politics over Visva Bharati University

Earlier in the day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that she skipped the centenary because she was not invited to the event, despite the university sending an invitation to the chief minister. In an apparent remark on the BJP, the TMC chief stated that those present at the Visva Bharati celebrations are just 'temporary' and that their days are 'numbered'. 

"They did not invite me for convocation at Visva Bharati today. Some people have come there, but they cannot destroy Visva Bharati. Those who are there today are just temporary, their days are numbered," Banerjee said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the TMC had also alleged that the Bengal CM was not invited to the centenary celebrations of Visva-Bharati. State minister and TMC leader Bratya Basu also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who attended the central varsity's meet on the occasion over a video conference, made "factual errors" during his speech.

"Mamata Banerjee did not receive any invitation for the centenary meet of Visva Bharati. Even if the invitation, as you suggest, was sent last night, should that be the decorum? After all, she (Banerjee) is the chief minister of a state," Basu said as quoted by PTI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed the centenary celebrations of the Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan, through video conferencing along with the West Bengal Governor and Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal. Hours after his address, BJP's Amit Malviya shared on Twitter a letter from the university inviting the CM and stated that Mamata Banerjee has insulted Rabindranath Tagore by not attending the event and that politics is more important from Mamata Banerjee than the legacy of Gurudev.

Incident of vandalism in August

The University had been in the news in August this year for the vandalism of the campus by the protestors over the construction of a boundary wall near the Mela ground which belongs to the University. The university demanded actions against miscreants responsible for damaging the campus with the loss to be recovered from those responsible. A day after the incident, Dhankhar had urged Banerjee to enforce accountability of "those who engaged in the desecration of VBU premises."

Founded by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, Visva-Bharati is also the oldest Central University in the country, with Prime Minister being the chancellor of the university. In May 1951, Visva-Bharati was declared to be a Central University and an Institution of National Importance by an Act of Parliament. The University followed the pedagogy devised by Gurudev Tagore, though gradually it evolved in the format in which modern Universities developed elsewhere.

(With ANI inputs)

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