Manish Tewari, the senior Congress leader and former Union Minister of State (Independent charge), Minister of Information and Broadcasting is not new to controversies. Recently, he faced the wrath of the people across the political spectrum for equating Brahmins of the country with Jews. “Why blame @CreatorOfTwitt. Anti Bhrahmisam is the reality of Indian politics. Got accentuated in the North post Mandalisation of Indian politics. We are the new Jews of India and we should just learn to live with it,” wrote Tiwari on Twitter. Now, Tewari has again made into the news for being the chief guest at the book launch of trained educationist Arindam Chaudhuri who is dean and promoter of controversial Indian Institute of Planning and Management.
Why blame @CreatorOfTwitt . Anti Bhrahmisam is the reality of Indian politics. Got accentuated in the North post Mandalisation of Indian politics . We are the new Jews of India and we should just learn to live with it . pic.twitter.com/mYXcgt9hx3
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) November 20, 2018
The three generations of Chaudhuri family, Dr. Malay Chaudhuri (Father), Dr. Arindam Chaudhuri and Che Kabir Chaudhuri (Son), have written a book named “What Marx Left Unsaid – Production of Skills by Means of Skills”. The book was launched at India International Centre, the cultural hub of the Lutyen’s elites. The book argues for an exploitation-free world by restricting the highest wage to the lowest wage ration to 3:1. The book commemorates the 200th and 100th birth anniversary of Karl Marx and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The Chaudhuri family is known for its association with controversial Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), a business school which operated in the country since 1973 without accreditation from regulatory institutions of the government. The business school charged hefty fees and has 18 branches across the country operating in cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Gurgaon, Noida, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow, Indore, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Jaipur, Dehradun, and Cochin. The business school has been criticized for false advertisement and unethical practices. In 2013, Delhi High Court barred IIPM from publishing any advertisement in print, television or online on an affidavit submitted by University Grants Commission (UGC). According to UGC affidavit IIPM could “mislead innocent students and public at large”. The affidavit was submitted in a response to public interest litigation (PIL) filed by B.Mahesh Sarma, Editor of Careers360 magazine which is published by former Outlook publisher, Maheshwer Peri.
Many magazines and online websites published articles which highlighted the fraudulent practices by IIPM. Careers360, a website dedicated to students had published a series of articles in which it busted all the claims that the promoters of IIPM had made. “Here is an institution that enjoys all the privileges of an academic institution (according to IT authorities, it claimed exemptions citing Section 10(23C) (VI) of the Income Tax act, 1961) with zero responsibility and accountability. Here is an institution that brazenly uses its power and reach to make unsubstantiated claims that play with the lives of students and parents alike. We know we are opening a Pandora’s Box, but are prepared for the repercussions, knowing fully well that you, our readers are with us. We were shocked by our findings, and what you are reading is just a part of it. We await your verdict,” wrote Career360. The article went to bust the claims of placements worth crores of rupees package in globally reputed organizations like DEUTSCHE BANK and BARCLAYS, DUBAI. The article also found IIPM’s claims pertaining to collaboration with globally reputed universities of the United States and international faculties to be blatant lies
For more details: IIPM – Best only in claims?
Moreover, IIPM was also involved in getting its content on Wikipedia page doctored through paid editors. In response to the article, the organization filed a criminal defamation case against Career360 and The Caravan. The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) – an anti-monopoly watchdog had initiated a probe in advertisements of IIPM in 2007. IIPM was also involved in a case of tax evasion, in May 2007, S.S. Palanimanickam, Minister of State for Finance said in Rajya Sabha, “IIPM has not paid income tax during the assessment years 2005–06 and 2006–07, claiming exemption under section 10(23C) (vi) of the Income-tax Act, 1961.”
The Chaudhuri family-owned institute finally decided to close down all of the campuses outside Delhi and stopped offering education. In May 2015, UGC filed an FIR against Arindam Chaudhuri and management had to shut down its operations in the wake of the FIR.
Before this, both Arindam Chaudhuri himself and the Institute run by his family in a blatant disregard towards the law of the country, involved themselves in monopolistic practices and cheated thousands of families and students in the name of ‘quality education’. All this was done when Congress was at the helm of affairs. Interestingly, prominent leaders of the Congress party still do not refrain from openly meeting with Chaudhuri.
Arindam Chaudhuri does not appear to be either sticking with the concept of ‘equality’ professed by Karl Marx or staying true to the ethos of capitalism where ‘rule of law’ prevails. Arindam and his family at best are hypocrites like the Indian National Congress and have remained beneficiaries of ‘corny capitalism’ which has been the trait of the Congress governments in the last 6 decades.
