PLAQUE DISPUTE AT SHANTINIKETAN SPARKS POLITICAL ROW IN WEST BENGAL

A dispute over a plaque at Shantiniketan in West Bengal has escalated into a political controversy, resulting in a strongly worded letter from Visva Bharati's administration to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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In the letter, Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty made political accusations unrelated to the university, alleging sycophancy, megalomania, and corruption among party leaders, and suggested that the Chief Minister was being influenced by them. Trinamool leaders claim the Vice Chancellor's actions are an attempt to gain favour with the central government as he seeks an extension. The controversy stems from a plaque commemorating Shantiniketan's UNESCO World Heritage status, which failed to mention Rabindranath Tagore but included the Vice Chancellor and the Prime Minister. Mamata Banerjee expressed her objection to this omission, stating that it belittled Tagore and undermined the anti-colonial heritage efforts of India's founding fathers.