Narendra Modi's keynote address at Wharton School cancelled after protests

Washington: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's keynote address at the India Economic Forum in Philadelphia later this month has been cancelled by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a top US business school. The organisers said that while they stood by the decision to invite Mr Modi, adverse reactions from multiple stakeholders had prompted the decision.

"Our team felt that the potential polarising reactions from sub-segments of the alumni base, student body and our supporters might put Mr Modi in a compromising position, which we would like to avoid at all cost...We do not endorse any political views and do not support any specific ideology. Our goal as a team is only to stimulate valuable dialogue on India's growth story," the Forum said in a statement on Sunday. (Read the full statement)

Mr Modi had been approached by the Wharton School's students' body, which organises the India Economic Forum, and he had agreed to deliver a keynote address through video conference on March 22-23.

This had triggered a controversy with professors and students from various universities writing a strongly-worded letter to the management, saying they were outraged to learn that Mr Modi had been invited as a speaker.

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"This is the same politician who was refused a diplomatic visa by the United States State Department on March 18, 2005 on the ground that he, as Chief Minister, did nothing to prevent a series of orchestrated riots that targeted Muslims in Gujarat," the letter, carrying 175 signatures, said.

Sources have told NDTV that there was immense pressure from the Wharton administration and management on the students' body to cancel the Gujarat Chief Minister's address. The powerful Wharton alumni was also instrumental in reversing the Forum's decision.

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Sources, though, also say that there was equal, if not more, support for Mr Modi to speak at the event because they wanted to draw a clear distinction between the 62-year-old chief minister's political past and economic vision. The Forum, in its statement, had said that the student body was extremely impressed with Mr Modi's credentials, governance ideologies, and leadership, which was the primary reason for his invitation. A student from the group of organisers also told NDTV they invited Mr Modi because they were impressed with Gujarat's growth story.

"We as a team, would like to apologise for being a catalyst that may have put Mr Modi and the Wharton School administration in a difficult position," the Forum said. The Forum said it hoped to have the Chief Minister speak at a "more appropriate forum where he can interact with students without the distraction of this kind of attention".

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Wharton India Economic Forum is an annual student-run India-centric conference hosted by the Wharton School. The speakers for the meeting are usually chosen by the students' body.

Last month, the Gujarat Chief Minister had faced protests while delivering a speech at Delhi's prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC). As he addressed the students, another group outside raised slogans and protested against him, saying the invitation overlooked the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002. The police had to use water cannons and canes to control the protests.