Suvendu’s ‘no role in state progress’ jibe at Amartya stirs up row

Kolkata: A comment by BJP neta Suvendu Adhikari on Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's role in the state's progress has stirred up a row, with TMC and CPM slamming his jibe. Sen has been a vocal critic of PM Narendra Modi and BJP.Speaking on Sen, Adhikari said on Monday: "I don't want to comment on those who never had any contribution in taking the state forward."
Sen, who received an SIR hearing notice recently, had said that the exercise was being conducted in a hurry. While Sen said that "a thorough review of electoral rolls done carefully with adequate time can be a good democratic procedure", he was apprehensive of that happening in Bengal this time."It is usual for him to make such comments. He does not have any contribution to Bengal. Has he ever created a job opportunity for an educated youth in Bengal? There is no example that shows that he stood by a poor man," Adhikari said.Trinamool, which termed Adhikari's comment "unwarranted", said that he was trying to undermine a globally respected intellectual. "A mind incapable of understanding economics naturally attacks economists. A career built on opportunism naturally despises integrity. And a man allergic to ideas predictably lashes out at intellect," TMC posted on X.CPM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said that Adhikari was critical of Sen when the Nobel Laureate had argued in favour of industrialisation in Bengal. "Adhikari was a TMC neta and tried to please his then-political masters. Today, he is saying what his political masters in BJP would like to hear. I am apologetic on behalf of the people of Bengal," Chakraborty said.This is not the first time that Sen has faced criticism from Bengal BJP. The Bengal leader of opposition had attacked Sen in 2023 for "remaining silent" during post-poll violence in Bengal. In 2020, when Sen thanked CM Mamata Banerjee for supporting him amid a land row with Visva-Bharati, former Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh had called him a "jami dakhalkari (land-grabber)". He said that in villages, people were struggling with poverty and nobody had heard of Sen there.