Rabindranath Tagore’s honour but his name missing from memorial; Mamata Banerjee slams Modi government calls it “Narcissistic display of arrogance”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has come down heavily on the BJP led Central Government over the missing name of Rabindranath Tagore from his memorial plaques at the Viswa Bharati University in Shantiniketan. The plaques were recently installed marking the honour of UNESCO’s acknowledgment of heritage for Viswa Bharati, one that was founded by the Nobel laureate. Viswa Bharati was set up in 1921. After the UNESCO’s honour, at least three plaques were installed at the university which comes under the Central Government with the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is the default Chancellor of the University and also the name of Bidyut Chakraborty, the Vice Chancellor of the University. The plaques had sparked a massive row, once again bringing to fore the debate around ‘Bengali Ashmita’. 

“Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore created a world heritage site (now recognized by UNESCO) at Santiniketan - Visva Bharati, but the current institutional authorities there have arranged site memorial plaques on this occasion which display even the Vice Chancellor's name but not the name of Gurudev!!”, wrote Mamata Banerjee on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter)

Mamata Banerjee had previously on Thursday given a deadline till Friday morning for the plaques to be removed or else face protest. Residents of Shantiniketan in Bengal’s Birbhum district held protest demonstration outside the Viswa-Bharati University, demanding the immediate removal of the controversial plaques. 

Calling it an insult to the revered bard, one who had also composed the national anthem of India, Banerjee on Saturday added -“This insults Tagore and belittles the anti-colonial heritage-creating efforts of our Nation's founding fathers. The central government will be well advised to remove this narcissistic display of arrogant self-exhibitionism forthwith, and to give Gurudev the tribute that the country owes to him”. 

She has urged the central government to immediately replace the plaques commensurate to the tribute Tagore deserves. Sources say the decision to instal such plaques were unilaterally taken by the University authorities who now claim that they were temporary arrangements. Sources also add that the Prime Minister’s office was upset with such plaques but they are yet to be replaced as things stand on Saturday.