Students at Rabindranath Tagore’s university town on Saturday protested against Amit Shah’s proposed Sunday trip to Bolpur and Santiniketan, denouncing the BJP’s alleged attempt to use Tagore as a political tool.
“The BJP is trying to saffronise the campus. There was no reason for Shah’s visit to Santiniketan at a time farmers are protesting against farm laws on Delhi borders,” said SFI leader of Visva-Bharati Somnath Sow.
Around 100 Visva-Bharati students took out a rally on Saturday evening from Upasana Griha to protest Shah’s visit to the campus and the BJP’s “insult” to Tagore on Friday with flex banners welcoming Shah with a sketch of Tagore below Shah’s picture. Though the BJP took down the banners within hours, protesters did not let the matter die down.
Varsity students burnt effigies of Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty near the varsity central office. Cultural outfit Bolpur-Santiniketan Sanskritik Mancha also marched against this purported “insult” to Tagore. The CPM and Congress took out a rally condemning Shah’s visit to Santiniketan at a time farmer protests were on.
“This shows the party top brass’s insensitivity towards farmers,” said a CPM leader.
“We had urged the VC not to allow Shah on the campus as he and his party represents an ideology that Tagore was opposed to. The VC has ignored our appeal and we have no option but to protest,” said Falguni Pan, a student leader.
Sources said varsity authorities wanted to ensure Shah’s visit was “apolitical” and requested BJP leaders not to accompany the Union home minister on campus on Sunday.
Varsity authorities had a bitter experience when Modi visited the campus to inaugurate Bangladesh Bhavana on May 24, 2018. “Many BJP workers entered the campus and chanted Jai Shri Ram slogans. The incident had drawn flak. So, we don’t want any BJP leader during Amit Shah’s visit to the campus,” said a varsity official.
A senior varsity official claimed Sunday’s event was “a completely apolitical programme”. “We did not invite anyone other than Union home minister Amit Shah. But we will not be able to restrict entry if he (Shah) brings them along,” he said.
