Amartya Sen Thanks Mamata Banerjee for Supporting Him in Visva Bharati Land Controversy, Says 'Your Strong Voice Is Source of Strength'

Kolkata, December 28: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has written a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, thanking her for lending support to him after Visva Bharati University (VBU) named him in its list of illegal occupants on the campus. In his letter, Amartya Sen said he is "touched" by Mamata Banerjee's support, adding that the Trinamool Congress chief's "strong voice" is a "tremendous" source of strength for him. Amartya Sen Says Entire Land Occupied by Him in Santiniketan Registered on Long Term Lease.

"I am not only most touched, but also very reassured that despite the busy life you have to lead, you can find time for reassuring people under attack. Your strong voice, along with your full understanding of what is going on, is, for me, a tremendous source of strength," Sen wrote. Earlier, Banerjee had written a letter to Sen after Visva Bharati University, a central varsity, mentioned him in its list of illegal occupants on the campus.

The Chief Minister had also expressed solidarity with the Nobel laureate for his deep ancestral roots in Santiniketan. According to reports, the Visva Bharati University said there is an unauthorised occupation of 13 decimals of land, in addition to 125 decimals legally leased to Sen's late father by the varsity authorities. Sen has said that the entire land occupied by him is registered in records and is entirely on long term lease.

The Nobel prize winner asserted that the Visva Bharati land on which his house is situated is entirely on a long-term lease, which is nowhere near its expiry. "Additional land was bought by my father as free hold and registered in land records under mouja Surul," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 28, 2020 03:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).