George Yeo's exit from Nalanda University: Arvind Panagariya chooses to stay mum

With Nalanda University embroiled in controversy over increased government interference and its vice-chancellor George Yeo having recently put down his papers for the same reason, ETPanache caught up with Dr Arvind Panagariya, vice chairman, Niti Aayog at a literary event in Mumbai to talk about the issue.

Panagariya is part of the newly-formed university governing body. However, Dr Panagariya didn’t want to comment on the matter, including the looming question of the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor. The vice-chairman did, however , say that there has been no communication about any meeting since the formation of the governing body.

Yeo, who was the former foreign minister of Singapore, is not the first to quit on the ground of reduced autonomy of the university. Noted economist and Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen, who was Yeo’s predecessor also quit the university for the same reason.