Amartya Sen hits out at BJP

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has claimed that Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has the potential to become the next Prime Minister of India.

Amartya Sen, a vocal critic of the Narendra Modi government, has publicly attacked the BJP’s ideology in a series of interviews and events recently.

In an interview to PTI over the weekend, he said there was no reason to think that the BJP would win the general elections next year.

He also hinted at the possibility of Mamata Banerjee becoming the chief minister.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee tweeted: “This comment by such an experienced and learned person like him is an order to me! “

While the Trinamool reacted enthusiastically to the senior economist’s statement, the BJP, as usual, lashed out at Amartya Sen.

Despite being an economist, why is he silent on the politics of the country, the BJP leaders of West Bengal have now started raising that question again.

They are saying that Amartya Sen will not be able to see the BJP’s exit from India while he is alive.

“Even BJP cabinet ministers in Delhi are saying that Amartya Sen can say whatever he wants – but there is no vacancy for the post of Prime Minister of India!” “” “

“They also recall that two years ago, when the land of Amartya Sen’s ancestral house in Santiniketan was allegedly encroached upon, Mamata Banerjee had written a letter of support to him as a” “sister and friend.” “”

All in all, the dispute between the two sides over Amartya Sen’s’ certificate ‘given to Mamata Banerjee has once again come to the fore.
What did Amartya Sen say?

In an interview to the French newspaper Le Monde on December 19, Amartya Sen said, What is happening in India today is the narrowest form of a communal regime. “

He strongly condemned the way Muslims are being attacked in India and the way the idea of a Hindu Rashtra is being propagated.

“” “Then on January 9 this year, at an event at the Pratichi Trust he founded in Kolkata, without directly naming the BJP, he said,” “” “The atmosphere of intolerance that is prevailing in India at the moment cannot last long.” “” People need to unite against it. “

“Last week, in an interview to Karan Thapar, he said,” “The Modi government in India is one of the worst governments in the world.” “

“He also described as” “barbaric” “and” “unacceptable” “the fact that India’s ruling party does not have a single Muslim member in any House of Parliament.”

But it is his interview with PTI over the weekend that is the most talked about, as he has made some of his own observations on the current politics of the country.

In the interview, Amartya Sen said:

. Mamata Banerjee definitely has the potential to become the Prime Minister of the country, but to reach that position, she will have to unite the anti-BJP forces of the country.

. It remains to be seen how Ms Banerjee will be able to capitalise on the disenchantment of the people of the country against the BJP. It is not yet established or proven beyond doubt.

. There is no reason to think that the BJP will run alone in the 2024 elections. Regional parties will also play a very relevant role in next year’s elections.

. In this backdrop, the Trinamool Congress will play a very important role in the Lok Sabha elections. Similarly, parties like the Samajwadi Party or the DMK will also be under the scanner.
BJP’s reaction

Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi has never directly criticized Amartya Sen by name, it is clear from many incidents how his government views this senior and brilliant economist.

Prime Minister Modi had also said in a public meeting in 2017, It has been proved time and again that hard work is stronger than Harvard. “

Amartya Sen was a professor at Harvard University.

The BJP has also questioned Sen’s role as the chancellor of the” “revived” “Nalanda University in Bihar – though the alleged corruption charges have not yet been proven.”

However, after Amartya Sen’s recent comments on Mamata Banerjee, the BJP is now leaving no stone unturned to attack him.

BJP national vice-president and MP Dilip Ghosh said, “It is an old dream of Amartya Sen to replace Modi ji as the Prime Minister of the country. But that dream will remain a dream – I can say this with responsibility. “

He also reminded that it is not possible for Mamata Banerjee to become the Prime Minister even if she gets all the 42 seats in West Bengal in the next Lok Sabha elections.

West Bengal BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, “I wish Amartya Sen a long life, but there is no doubt that he will not be able to see a BJP-mukt Bharat in his lifetime. “

“He also said that the” “lotus” “(BJP’s election symbol) will also bloom at the door of Amartya Sen’s residence ‘Pratichi’ in the 2024 elections.”

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “In a democracy, anyone can say whatever they want, even daydream. Amartya Sen has every right to give his opinion, I have nothing to say about it. “

“But let me remind him that there is no vacancy for the post of Prime Minister in this country. In the last two phases, the people of the country have voted Modi ji to power, and he will win again next year. “

The year after Amartya Sen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998, the BJP government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee awarded him India’s highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’.