BJP lampoons college principal for criticizing Gujarat development model

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday lampooned St. Xaviers College's principal, Dr. Frazer Mascarenhas, for writing a message to his students criticizing the Gujarat development model and praising the flagship schemes of Congress-led UPA Government.

"There is no issue regarding the democratic right of an individual, but here is someone who is writing as the head of an institution, particularly an educational institution, when normally an institution does not play politics," said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.

"If indeed, the principal was interested in discussing the models of growth, he is welcome to do so, but he shouldn't sit on judgement as to which is preferable and which is not. If he is trying to influence the minds of students who come to learn from this institution, then it is certainly wrong," she added.

Dr. Mascarenhas has apparently written a message to his student saying, "All the Human Development Index indicators and the cultural polarisation of the population show that Gujarat has had a terrible experience in the last ten years."

"As opposed to this, efforts like the Rojgar Yojana and the Food Security Act have been called "election sops". However, some of our best social scientists like Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze have supported these as necessary in the emergency economic situation the country and the world is facing. The country is grateful that committed activists like Aruna Roy and Shailesh Gandhi have worked with the Government to initiate and sustain the Right to Information Act which makes accountability possible. Corruption still needs to be addressed effectively, but since it is so prevalent at every level of society, it will take civil society long agonizing efforts to root it out," he further stated.