BJP leader and Member of Parliament Dr Subramanian Swamy is slated to participate in a seminar at Delhi University (DU) meant to evoke nationalism among youth on Saturday. Ahead of the programme, a few from the teaching community speculate that he may again speak on his favourite agenda of “Ram-Mandir”.
However, it is not for the first time that a seminar is being organised by the right-wing organisation Arundhati Vashishta Anusandhan Peeth on the campus as such seminars by it have been organised in the past several occasions in Delhi University.
Swamy who is the chairman of the organisation earlier had on several occasions raised the issue of Ram Temple at Ayodhya from DU.
Dr Sanjay Kumar, Convener of the seminar says that the seminar titled “Bharateeya and Western View of Nation” is to tell students about the ‘superiority’ of Indian culture and 'fallacy' propagated by some western philosophers against it. “Our rich culture, heritage and values are being demeaned and projected inferior to that of western values by some historians and writers who had the habit of submitting to the western view-view and philosophy blindly.
To make our youth realize the greatness of our values and heritage is our moral responsibility and that’s what we are exactly doing,” said Sanjay Kumar, from Arundhati Vashishta Anusandhan Peeth.
On the other hand Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) President Rajib Ray says that universities should be “open-space” for free flow of ideas and discussion of all types. He also emphasised that not only those related to a particular ideology or party should be given the opportunity to organise programmes but all should be treated at parity.
With congress party student wing — National Students' Union of India (NSUI) leading the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU), protest might erupt against the seminar.