The controversy over installation of plaques at Visva-Bharati University has turned into a full blown political war with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee threatening protests if the name of Rabindranath Tagore is not included in the installation by Friday.
Controversy first erupted when Visva Bharati put up marble plaques commemorating UNESCO’s ‘World Heritage Site’ title that bore the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also chancellor, and vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty, but did not mention Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
“It is only because of Rabindranath Tagore that Santiniketan got the UNESCO tag. We were silent because of the Durga Puja. If you do not remove the plaques and put-up new ones with the Nobel Laureate’s name by 10 am tomorrow, our people will launch a demonstration holding Kobiguru’s photos to their chests,” the Chief Minister told journalists.