Eminent academician Prabhat Patnaik is miffed with an order of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) prohibiting entry of ‘outsiders’ in the University premises. He argues that nobody is an ‘outsider’ for a University as it derives from the word ‘universe’. As a professor emeritus in Centre for Economic Studies & Planning (CESP) of the University, he, like other professor emeritus’, has confined himself only in highly-academic activities but feels that this ‘order’ has posed a “crisis” which warrants even the emeritus professors to express their descent.
“I have right to express my opinion and protest peacefully if any department or group of the University invites any person whom I don’t like. That’s very different from saying by the University that the campus be closed for outsiders. NGOs, scholars and activists should all be allowed to express their views. A university is not a fortress,” said Patnaik adding that this is very basic to the idea of free discourse a University should stand for. “It’s the responsibility of the University administration to maintain the right of the organisers to go with the event besides ensuring the right to peaceful protest by dissenting group,” he added. He claimed that several right wing leaders are also invited by various groups.
On the controversial issue of jurisdiction of the students’ union, he said: “The students should have opinion on each and every issue including Iraq War and Vietnam War. If they stop open thinking and confine themselves only on campus issues like salt in the curry, I think that would be destruction of the education system,” asserted Patnaik. “People, ofcourse, make sacrifices for the nation provided the nation stands for the people. So the idea of nation above people, for which people make sacrifices but the nation doesn’t stand for the people, is objectionable,” he opined.