Delhi: Lady Shri Ram faculty cancels invitation to BJP chief to speak about Ambedkar

By PTI

NEW DELHI: Delhi University’s Lady Shri Ram (LSR) faculty cancelled an invite to BJP nationwide spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan following opposition from a piece of the scholars.

The SC-ST cell of LSR had launched a poster asserting a session on the subject “Ambedkar Beyond Constitution” with Paswan to commemorate the delivery anniversary of BR Ambedkar.

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) unit of the school approached the representatives of the SC-ST cell, demanding that the occasion be known as off.

The Left-affiliated SFI alleged that the BJP is “against the interests of the marginalised communities”.

In a press release, Paswan stated he was invited by the SC-ST cell of LSR to talk on “Ambedkar Beyond Constitution” on Thursday.

“Can the subaltern speak? Not at one of the premier institutions of country, Lady Sriram College, University of Delhi. I prepared my presentation on the contributions of Babasaheb Ambedkar beyond the drafting of Constitution, his role as en economist, diplomat and an educationist.”

“I was informed that the event has been cancelled at the behest of my political affiliation and my role as National Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party,” he stated within the assertion posted on Facebook and Twitter.

Noting that debate and dialogue is the essence of democracy, the BJP chief stated at a time when the nation is celebrating 75 years of its independence, “one thing that we ought to learn from the makers of our Constitution is their ability to listen, absorb and respect other viewpoints”.

“On what account was my voice stifled?” he requested.

“My ideas or my identity, regardless of that this is a great to the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar. An institution can’t be an Eco chamber. As a teaching faculty this saddens me even more when students close their horizon (sic)!” Paswan stated.

The SFI welcomed the choice of the SC-ST cell to cancel the invitation to Paswan.

“We view the decision to call off the event by SC-ST cell in a positive light. However, we expect student bodies to remember where their commitment lies in the future as well,” it stated.