Full textual content of resignation letter: Two days after PB Mehta’s exit, economist Arvind Subramanian quits Ashoka University

Noted economist Arvind Subramanian has resigned as professor from Ashoka University, citing the circumstances involving Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s exit and the actual fact Ashoka, even with its personal standing and personal capital, can not present house for tutorial expression and freedom.
Subramanian had joined Ashoka University in July final 12 months as a professor within the division of economics. He can also be the founding director of the brand new Ashoka Center for Economic Policy, dedicated to researching coverage points associated to India and international improvement.
His resignation, which comes two days after Mehta left, will take impact from the top of this tutorial 12 months, Subramanian wrote in his letter addressed to the University Vice-Chancellor Malabika Sarkar.
The Indian Express had first reported the information of Mehta’s exit from Ashok University on March 17. Mehta, who can also be Contributing Editor, The Indian Express, has constantly, in his writing and public appearances, questioned the ruling institution. He is taken into account one of many nation’s foremost students on politics and political concept, Constitutional regulation, governance and political economic system. On Tuesday, when requested by The Indian Express if his criticism of the federal government had something to do together with his exit, the college had sidestepped the query.
However, in his resignation letter, Subramanian made it clear that Mehta’s exit was linked to the college’s lack of ability to guard tutorial freedom and expression. He additionally wrote that with Mehta leaving “the University’s commitment to fight for and sustain the Ashoka vision is now open to question” and that makes it tough for him to proceed being a part of Ashoka.
The Indian Express couldn’t attain Subramanian for a remark.

Here is the total textual content of Arvind Subramanian’s resignation letter:
Dear Malabika,
As you recognize, I got here to Ashoka University with the goal of educating college students, and constructing a centre for financial coverage to construct our nationwide capability for high-quality analysis, evaluation and communication. With the University’s assist, particularly of key trustees, the Centre has been taking form—with occasions, analysis tasks, groups of gifted researchers, and assets—past what I may have hoped for, particularly contemplating the pandemic-induced constraints. The thrilling sense was rising that a few of our long-term objectives could be achieved. And I used to be actually having fun with attending to know and work with the good college students and colleagues of Ashoka.
However, the circumstances involving the “resignation” of Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta, who is not only an expensive good friend however a really inspirational nationwide determine, have devastated me. I’m conscious about the broader context during which Ashoka and its trustees should function, and have thus far admired the University for having navigated it so properly.
But that somebody of such integrity and eminence, who embodied the imaginative and prescient underlying Ashoka, felt compelled to depart is troubling. That even Ashoka—with its personal standing and backing by personal capital—can not present an area for tutorial expression and freedom is ominously disturbing. Above all, that the University’s dedication to struggle for and maintain the Ashoka imaginative and prescient is now open to query makes it tough for me to proceed being a part of Ashoka.
So it’s with a way of deep remorse and profound unhappiness that I’m writing to submit my resignation from the University which is able to take impact from the top of this tutorial 12 months. I want you and the University, and particularly its gifted and motivated college students–who’re the center of Ashoka–success sooner or later.
Sincerely,
Arvind
PS: As a courtesy to my colleagues within the economics division, and within the pursuits of transparency, I will probably be sharing this electronic mail with them.