Nobel Laureate and founding chancellor Amartya Sen was given not a passing mention as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here to open the newly constructed campus of Nalanda University on Wednesday.

Sen, personally wooed by Nitish Kumar to lend his name to the institution, served it for nine years from 2007 to 2016, first as the chairman of the Nalanda Mentors Group and then as its chancellor since 2010.

Sen, a fierce critic of Modi and his government’s policies, was hounded out after the then BJP leader and MP, Subramanian Swamy, claimed that he drew a salary of Rs 50 lakh per annum from Nalanda University. The university refuted the charges and said that he worked without any remuneration and did not even avail any perquisites.

The political meddling and the unceremonious exit of Sen brought a bad name to the university, which was still in its infancy. It made the global intelligentsia cautious about the institution.

The government failed to harness and use the intellectual muscle power of Sen to promote the university on the international stage and attract eminent professors in various subjects.

Besides the Prime Minister, Bihar governor Rajendra Arlekar, chief minister Nitish Kumar, Union external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, Nalanda University chancellor Arvind Panagariya and vice-chancellor Abhay Kumar Singh were present at Wednesday’s event.

Most of them conveniently forgot the genesis of the new Nalanda University, which functions under the ministry of external affairs. Even the officials harped on the impetus given to the institution during Modi’s tenure since 2014, omitting the work done under the previous UPA governments. It was left to Nitish to recall how the university saw the light of day.

“The then President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, visited Bihar in March 2006 and talked about reestablishing the ancient Nalanda University. We initiated it and requested the central government for it. However, there was a delay because of some reasons and the Bihar government brought a law for the university and acquired 455 acres of land for it,” Nitish said.

“Kalam again came in 2008 as the first visitor to the under-construction Nalanda University and saw the work being done. We again requested the Centre in 2010 and the Lok Sabha passed a bill to establish the university. We handed over the acquired land to the central government. The work progressed slowly and teaching partially started here in 2014,” Nitish added.

Addressing the gathering, Modi said: “Nalanda is not just a name. Nalanda is an identity, an honour. Nalanda is a value, a mantra, a pride and a saga. It is a proclamation that books may be burnt in fire but the flames cannot destroy knowledge. The destruction of Nalanda (Nalanda Mahavihara or the ancient Nalanda University) had filled India with darkness. Now its revival is going to start the golden age of the country.”

Modi stressed the global character of the ancient Nalanda University in which students from different countries came to study.

“The reawakening of Nalanda University near the ancient ruins and the new campus will tell the world about the strength of India. Nalanda will tell us that the countries that stand firm on human values know how to revive their national history and build the foundation for a better future. Students from over 20 countries are studying here, which is a beautiful example of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The world is one family).”