Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha on Wednesday said that Delhi University has cancelled his lecture without giving any reason.
The Rajya Sabha MP said that the university’s Centre for Professional Development in Higher Education had invited him on August 18 to address college and university teachers virtually on September 4.
“However, earlier today, I received an e-mail that informed me that my lecture was cancelled, even though the event was not,” Jha said. “I have sent my complaint to the university and I intend to take up the matter with the Prime Minister’s Office.”
The topic of the lecture was “Political Social Work: New Opportunity for Practice”, The Indian Express reported.
Jha, who is also a professor at Delhi University’s Department of Social Work, said that the e-mail cited “some unavoidable circumstances” as a reason for cancelling his lecture.
He said the government should investigate the move of the Centre for Professional Development in Higher Education.
“This is my university,” Jha added. “I teach here. I have studied here. I can speak in Parliament, on the street, and write in newspapers. But I cannot address the teachers of my university. What is the fear? Will we become vishwaguru [world teacher] like this? Such a practice has to stop. We cannot see the university dying.”
Hours later, the director of the Centre for Professional Development in Higher Education, Geeta Singh, said that the lecture was being rescheduled and not cancelled.
“Our schedule has changed a little because the prime minister will, on September 4 or 5, launch a portal for these training programmes,” she told The Indian Express. “Him [Jha] coming here is always an honour for us.”
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