PM Modi's Jadavpur University Remark: Dharmendra Pradhan, Mamata Banerjee, JUTA trade barbs

New Delhi/Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks describing Jadavpur University as a “symbol of anarchy” under the Trinamool Congress government have triggered strong reactions from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the university’s teachers’ body.

At an election rally in Baruipur on Friday, Prime Minister referred to frequent unrest in Jadavpur University and said the premier institution, once respected globally for its academic legacy, had become a “symbol of anarchy under the present dispensation”.

“Jadavpur University was once spoken of with great respect. Its foundation was built on strong academic values. But today, people are being threatened, and students are being forced to protest,” he said.

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JU: Mamata says PM insulted Bengal institutions

Reacting sharply, Mamata Banerjee said Modi had insulted not just Jadavpur University but also major higher educational institutions of the state such as University of Calcutta, Presidency University and St. Xavier's University.

“Before speaking in such a way about JU, he must check the NIRF rankings of JU and CU currently and in past years. Such comments by the prime minister show his anti-Bengal, undemocratic mindset against free thinking,” she said at a rally in Howrah.

Modi, meanwhile, continued his criticism of the ruling TMC and said campuses were being pushed into disorder instead of academics.

Claiming that anti-national slogans were being written on campus walls and students were being pushed into protests instead of studies, he said a government that could not protect its own premier educational institutions could not safeguard Bengal’s future.

“We do not want anarchy; we want a healthy academic environment. We want dialogue here, not threats,” he said.

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UGC: Dharmendra Pradhan cites expert panel report

Soon after Banerjee’s remarks, Dharmendra Pradhan launched a counterattack and alleged that years of “silence and decay” under Mamata Banerjee had weakened Bengal’s institutions.

In a post on X, Pradhan said Banerjee appeared “more disturbed by the call for revival than by the condition in which those institutions have been left under her government”.

Referring to the need to restore the “dignity” of Bengal’s institutions, Pradhan cited findings of a UGC expert committee constituted after the death of a first-year student at Jadavpur University.

He said the panel had described the university’s anti-ragging framework as “feeble and lacklustre” and flagged “serious administrative failures marked by indifference, negligence, and a troubling absence of accountability”.

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“The committee found that institutional safeguards had weakened, governance had become ineffective, and the system had failed to respond with the seriousness expected of a premier university,” he said.

Pradhan added that the findings were severe enough for the committee to recommend a 10 per cent reduction in the university’s capital and recurring grants for non-compliance with UGC regulations.

He further alleged that the Trinamool Congress government had shown “little intent to address the deeper structural failures”, claiming that campuses had too often been viewed through political influence rather than academic responsibility.

“What has clearly unsettled Mamata Banerjee ji is not criticism, but the possibility that Bengal is beginning to recognise how deeply her politics has corroded institutions that once commanded respect far beyond the state,” he said.

“The people of Bengal can see that the real threat to its institutions came from years of silence, decay and a politics that reduced pride to paralysis. What truly worries her is that Bengal is no longer willing to accept decline as destiny, and that the demand for renewal has now become stronger than the politics that tried to suppress it,” he added.

JU Teachers Association: JUTA defends university’s record

A day after Modi’s comments, Jadavpur University Teachers' Association issued a statement saying the institute has been recognised globally as a centre of excellence despite severe financial constraints.

“Jadavpur University was born out of the anti-British movement and carries forward the legacy of India’s freedom struggle,” the teachers’ body said.

“Despite severe financial constraints, it has got global recognition as a centre of excellence through the sustained efforts of students, faculty, researchers, staff, officials and alumni,” said the statement signed by JUTA Secretary Partha Pratim Roy.

The association highlighted that, alongside academics and research, the institute has also played a significant role in advancing social justice.

It further alleged that despite fulfilling all criteria for being granted the Institute of Eminence status, the university had been deprived of due recognition.

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Jadavpur University: Funding constraints raised

JUTA also claimed that funds under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan had not been released to the university by the Centre, while the state too had failed to adequately address the issue of fund shortages.

The teachers’ body expressed concern over alleged moves to dismantle the University Grants Commission, saying such a step would halt Central funding to public institutions.

It accused the Centre of “undermining public universities while extending support to private institutions such as Jio Institute. ”

“The government cannot abdicate its responsibility of sustaining public institutions,” the association said.

JUTA also said the university, founded on the ideals of patriotism, has never compromised with “nationalism” and remains committed to academic excellence, freedom of thought and the pursuit of knowledge.

(Inputs from PTI)