On being denied second term as Chancellor of Nalanda University, Amartsya Sen has criticised the Modi government and accused it of threatening the academic freedom. Obviously, Amartya Sen would not have said this if he has been given a second term. His reaction sounds like that of a typical politician in India, who views any situation considering his personal interests.
Amartya Sen has completed his term as Chancellor of Nalanda University and his term has not been disturbed in the middle. Certainly, the government has the duty, responsibility and authority to decide as to who should be the next chancellor and the decision need not always go in faour of incumbent. Person like Amartya Sen, a Nobel laurete who gets lot of publicity in the Indian media , should understand this prerogative of the government.
By no stretch of imagination , one can say that not providing a second term for the Chancellor amount to threaten the academic freedom. Certainly, there are people in India who are equally suitable or even may be more suitable than Amartya Sen for the job and the government is entitled to examine such possibilities.
It is unfortunate that Amartya Sen has viewed the issues relating to academic freedom in India in such a restricted way such as posting of Chancellor.
It is known that Amartya Sen has given an impression that he is a pledged critic of Narendra Modi and his recent interview in the media not only talks about his not being given a second term but also highly critical remarks about Modi's governance, which is unwarranted from a person holding position as Chancellor of University.
N.S.Venkataraman
Nandini Voice For The Deprived
twitter : @nsvchennai
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