BJP leader Anupam Hazra criticizes Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty
Hazra says Chakrabarty's tenure will not be renewed and that he has damaged Tagore's reputation
On Tuesday, Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty came under fire from BJP leader Anupam Hazra for what he called his "anti-Santiniketan activities" and he said he would not be granted a delay.
On Wednesday, Chakrabarty's tenure as vice-chancellor of Visva-Bharati comes to an end.
"His tenure as VC ends tomorrow, and I can guarantee you that it won't be renewed. Santiniketan's residents will exhale with relief. The plaques he erected without Rabindranath Tagore's name on them were only an attempt to win over Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the hopes of obtaining a postponement. But the central government is aware of how he damaged Tagore's reputation in this place," Hazra said.
After Chakrabarty erected two plaques honoring Santiniketan's designation as a Unesco World Heritage Site—one of which carried Modi's name and the other omitted Tagore's—he courted criticism.
After garlanding a bust of Tagore in front of the dais where Trinamul officials and workers had been protesting for the removal of the two plaques for the last twelve days, Hazra launched the vicious assault on Chakrabarty.
"I find it intriguing that a prominent member of the BJP, such as Hazra, approached the Trinamul protest site and expressed views that align with those of Mamata Banerjee's party. It demonstrates that the BJP opposes Chakrabarty's act, according to a university representative.
Hazra countered that no political party could take credit for opposing the VC's "anti-Santiniketan activities" and that Tagore belonged to everybody, which is why he went to the venue.
"Trinamul's protest has been going on for a whole year, but I spoke out against this VC over a year ago for his anti-Santiniketan actions. We will not allow Trinamul to get all the credit. As the first person to criticize the plaques devoid of Tagore's name, Hazra is a former MP and national general secretary of the BJP.
In response, Kunal Ghosh of Trinamul said, "Everyone is aware of Hazra's position inside the BJP. Trinamul, not the BJP, is the party that spoke up against the VC's wrongdoings, especially his assault on Amartya Sen."
Chief spokesman for the Bengal BJP Samik Bhattacharya chastised Hazra for approaching the Trinamul protest location, where the party "tortured" BJP activists. I hope Hazra lost his "old connection" to Trinamul, he stated.
Hazra countered by accusing Bhattacharya of speaking from a "AC environment" and without a grassroots connection.
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