Union home minister Amit Shah is scheduled to reach Visva-Bharati on December 20 and BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya and Anupam Hazra met vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty on Sunday to discuss the visit, four days ahead of a virtual address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chancellor of the central university.

Sources in the BJP’s Bengal unit said Shah’s visit was scheduled as a damage-control effort after the gaffe over Rabindranath Tagore’s birthplace last week in a tweet that quoted party president J.P. Nadda.

BJP national-secretary Hazra said Shah had expressed his desire to visit the varsity and meet its officials during the next weekend.

“We know December 24 is the foundation day of Visva-Bharati and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is its chancellor. He wanted to address the Visva-Bharati community apolitically as the varsity’s glory and image were tarnished in the recent past,” said Hazra.

“Amit Shah would like to visit and meet the officials of Visva-Bharati. He would also participate in a procession to boost the morale of our workers in Birbhum. After the procession, he would address the workers,” he added.

On Wednesday, the Bengal BJP’s official Twitter handle had issued a tweet with a quote, attributing it to the party’s national president J.P. Nadda, stating that Tagore had been born in Visva-Bharati.

BJP sources had said Nadda did not actually say so in his speech but the mistake was made by its IT cell. The tweet was taken down later.

A senior BJP leader said Shah would speak to Chakrabarty and other officials regarding the current situation on the campus and the issue of violence following protests against the boundary wall of the Pous Mela ground.

CM prays for Nadda

Nadda has tested positive for Covid-19, prompting chief minister Mamata Banerjee to wish him speedy recovery and good health.

Nadda had toured parts of Bengal a few days ago, and stones were thrown at some cars in his convoy, triggering a political row.

“Heard about BJP National President Shri @JPNadda testing positive for Covid-19. Wishing him a speedy recovery and good health. My prayers are with him and his family during this time,” Mamata tweeted on Sunday.