Amartya Sen rules out reconsidering Nalanda refusal

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Saturday ruled out reconsidering his decision not to seek second term as chancellor of Nalanda University, saying that the government had decided ‘not to have me’.

The 82-year-old economist’s decision to withdraw his candidature as the university chair for the second term after complaining about political interference in academic matters has sparked off a controversy.

The Union government had not forwarded his name for a second term to President Pranab Mukherjee, despite unanimous recommendation of his name by the university’s governing body, he had said on Friday.

Sen told PTI, “No. I think there is no reason for me to reconsider. It is not about my tenure, it is about academic freedom....They (government) have decided not to have me.”