Recently, several mainstream media reports claimed that historian Romila Thapar has been asked by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to submit her Curriculum Vitae (CV) in order to review her position as professor emerita. A report to this effect first appeared in The Telegraph. After this, similar reports appeared in several mainstream media outlets including India Today, The New Indian Express, etc. These reports create a misleading impression and gets the reader to believe as if Romila Thapar is being singled out and targeted. The reality though is that the JNU is in the process of reviewing the status of all its emeritus professors who are above the age of 75 years.
These reports generated usual rhetoric of vendetta against intellectuals by the Modi government. Routine allegations of the move being “politically motivated” and an attempt to target those who question the governemnt have been made by the usual suspects. As per The Telegraph, three senior faculty members of JNU expressed shock over Thapar being asked for her CV. Two of them even said that once chosen, an academic continues in the post for life.
This is completely at variance with Rule 32 (g) of the Academic Rules and Regulations, which provides, “Once appointed, E.C. as a appointing authority, will review the continuation or otherwise for each existing Emeritus Professor after attainment of her/his age of seventy five years by considering her/his health status, willingness, availability, university needs etc. so that more positions will be available to other potential candidates. For this purpose, E.C. will appoint a sub-committee for each existing Professor Emeritus above the age of seventy five years, which will examine each case as it deems fit, including by interaction, inviting latest CV, peer group views etc. The recommendation of this committee will be considered by E.C. for its decision.”
The said rule does not seem to corroborate the version being put forward by the left-liberal cabal. The idea of continuing for life, once chosen as an academic reeks of the leftist sense of entitlement. It must be noted that of late JNU has emerged as the hub of coercive leftist ideology. The outrage on the part of the entire left-liberal cabal also represents a sense of ownership over the educational institution. In fact media reports have stated that Thapar is unwilling to share her CV with the JNU administration for continuing as professor emeriti. This is nothing but display of sheer arrogance on the part of Thapar and her ilk. Going by the behaviour it seems the left-liberal cabal has formed a sense of entitlement and false belief that they cannot be touched anymore.
What needs to be understood is the fact that the varsity has taken a routine decision in accordance with the established rules and regulations of the university. As such the outcry over the move to include Romila Thapar, who is aged 87 years and falls within the purview of Rule 32 (g), is unwarranted. Instead of crying vendetta, Thapar needs to understand that she just simply has to submit her CV and that’s all.
The left-liberal cabal which has till now dominated the JNU, should realise that it has no moral right of determine how the academic institution functions. When a routine decision is taken in accordance with the established rules and regulations, there is really no occasion to hint at a conspiracy on the part of the government to target “eminent intellectuals”. The leftist outrage over the Romila Thapar episode is just the tip of the iceberg, as the university has geared up to review the status of its emeritus professors, many of whom are seen as “eminent” personalities, it will have to face outrage by those propagating a particular ideology.