BJP is turning Visva Bharati into an epicentre of riot: Mamata

Bolpur: Expressing her annoyance over the present situation in Visva Bharati, Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee vehemently hit out at its Vice-Chancellor (VC) Bidyut Chakraborty stating him to be a man "bearing the label of BJP" as the premier institution "is turning to become epicentre of riot".

She also asserted that the land of Rabindranath Tagore would never allow hate

politics to triumph over secularism.

While addressing a party rally a few kilometres away from the varsity campus, Banerjee expressed her pain over the present situation of the university as "tall walls" are being constructed creating "boundary among people" by destructing the ideology of Rabindranath Tagore.

"I am noticing for the past few days that Ashramites and even Amartya Sen was not spared," Banerjee said, adding that "Did no one else find that a person with stamp of BJP has been appointed as V-C? What the BJP leaders do every day inside the V-C's chamber? There are varsities including Presidency University and Jadavpur University in Kolkata. Do I visit there regularly? Visva Bharati has been turned into a place of riot."

Reacting sharply on series of incidents of breaking the tradition at the varsity, she said that the politics of hatred has sneaked into Visva Bharati.

Quoting a line of Tagore's song "morey aro aro dao pran", Banerjee urged people to stand strong before the "outsiders" who are attempting to bring a massive attack on the rich culture and tradition

of Bengal.

Recollecting one of her memories in connection with Visva Bharati, she said: "I am not saying this to glorify myself. I was then the MP of Jadavpur. That time I became MP for the first time. Prime Minister of the country is the chancellor of Visva Bharati. Then it was Rajiv Gandhi. I was a court member of the varsity. I had accompanied him to the varsity. During lunch, some students had asked him that who was his icon. He had pointed his figure towards me and said one's icon should be like me. He had said so because he knew that I love the soil of Bengal."

On Monday, Banerjee had announced that the state Public Works Department (PWD) took back the road connecting Sriniketan and Santiniketan that was given to Visva Bharati in 2017 following complaint by ashramites, who had alleged that the varsity authorities restricted plying of vehicles on the road causing massive inconvenience to them.