International historian bows to right-wing pressure

Ramachandra Guha, the internationally renowned historian, who is a strong critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has reversed a decision to accept a teaching offer at Ahmedabad University (AU) after coming under pressure from right-wing group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

AU had announced Guha’s appointment on 16 October but three days later, on 19 October, the ABVP submitted a memorandum to AU authorities asking them to reconsider Guha’s appointment, arguing that his writings were against Indian culture and traditions.

Pravin Desai, ABVP Ahmedabad unit secretary, said he told the AU officials that there could be a rise in anti-national sentiment at AU if Guha was invited to Gujarat similar to that seen at the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on 9 February 2016. On that occasion, some JNU students held a protest against the capital punishment meted out to the 2001 Indian Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and Kashmiri separatist Maqbool Bhat and allegedly raised anti-India slogans during the protest.

The AU officials have denied that they acted under pressure. AU Registrar Bhupendra Shah clarified that the AU did not ask Guha to quit. Shah said: “The AU does not act under any pressure and has not done so in this case either.”

'Tyrannical ruler'

Just hours before refusing the teaching offer, Guha had compared Prime Minister Modi to Emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa, a tyrannical ruler of Central Africa infamous for his callousness and extravagance, in a tweet.

Guha had tweeted: “A young author remarked to me recently that in his megalomaniac ambitions, Narendra Modi resembles Emperor Bokassa more than he resembles Xi Jinping. I think that’s spot on.”

Guha had earlier also criticised the Modi government over the Statue of Unity, a 182-metre high representation of Indian statesman and founding father Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which was unveiled in the Narmada district of Gujarat at the end of October. It is the world's tallest statue, built at a cost of nearly INR24 billion (US$330 million).

Guha had tweeted: “Sardar Patel would have been appalled by the crude boastfulness of the ads [advertisements] in his name in today’s newspapers. That his statue is taller than any in China, America, Japan, etc. That is certainly not how the Sardar would have measured national dignity and self respect.”

While announcing that he would not take up the teaching offer at Ahmedabad University, Guha tweeted: “Due to circumstances beyond my control, I shall not be joining Ahmedabad University. I wish AU well; it has fine faculty and an outstanding vice-chancellor. And may the spirit of Gandhi one day come alive once more in his native Gujarat.” However, he did not give any reasons for his decision.

There have been some instances in the past where appointments at key positions in high-ranking academic institutions have been questioned.

In 2014, Girish Chandra Tripathi, a state-level functionary of right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was appointed vice-chancellor of the prestigious Banaras Hindu University. The vice-chancellor had permitted RSS cadres to organise rallies inside the university campus and on several occasions he was seen unfurling the ABVP’s flag on the campus.

Tripathi’s appointment was made by a search-cum-selection panel headed by Giridhar Malviya. Malviya had proposed Modi’s candidature for the parliamentary seat in Varanasi and it was alleged that he hid from the government that he and Tripathi had a long association. But the Human Resource Development Ministry did not take any action when a complaint was made.

Sanyukta Mukherjee, professor at Sagar University, said: “There is no doubt that student bodies, especially those affiliated with big political parties, have considerable influence in educational institutions. Even teachers cannot dare to oppose the ruling party’s student leaders, as is apparent from a recent incident in Mandsaur.”

Mukherjee was referring to an incident in late September this year in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh, where a video surfaced ostensibly showing a professor at Government Commerce College touching the feet of some ABVP activists.

The teacher had apologised to the students and touched their feet after they had threatened to lodge a police complaint against him. The student leaders’ threat came when the professor asked them not to cause a disturbance after they started raising patriotic slogans on the college campus while the professor was teaching.