Centre Showcases Rs 68 Crore Spend On Tagore’s University In Bengal

As the West Bengal assembly election approaches, the battle over Tagore’s legacy intensifies. Recently, Trinamool Congress’s Sagarika Ghosh called replacing the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) employment guarantee scheme an insult to Rabindranath Tagore, who coined the term “Mahatma” for Gandhi. Meanwhile, the Narendra Modi government claims to be the true guardian of Tagore’s legacy.

At Visva-Bharati University, founded by Tagore, the Modi government has invested Rs 67.99 crore in infrastructure projects, including new academic buildings, seminar hall complexes, hostels, and an expanded library, as revealed in a response to an unstarred question by MP and BJP’s Bengal President Samik Bhattacharya. The government has focused

on modernisation while preserving the university’s unique heritage, according to minister of state for education and former Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar.

In response to a specific query from Bhattacharya, Majumdar disclosed that a one-time grant of Rs 2.93 crore was allocated for renovating heritage structures. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) restored 24 historic buildings, including Tagore’s house, Shyamali.

Following UNESCO guidelines, heritage walks have been introduced, and Rabindra Bhavana’s priceless research archives have been fully digitised for global access, as the Modi government stated in its reply.

The university’s global academic standing has also been enhanced through international MoUs with institutions across Europe, East Asia, and South Asia, highlighting India’s growing educational soft power.

The political tussle between TMC and BJP over Tagore, who gave India its national anthem, has been ongoing. TMC projects Tagore as Bengal’s cultural icon, deeply rooted in Bengali language, ethos, and regional pride. In contrast, the BJP presents Tagore as a pan-Indian nationalist thinker beyond regional ownership.

TMC uses Tagore’s critique of aggressive nationalism to challenge BJP’s ideological narrative, preferring Tagore’s brand of nationalism over Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s. However, the BJP emphasises Tagore’s patriotism and civilisational pride as aligned with national unity.

Both parties use the Bengali icon for political symbolism. TMC accuses BJP of “appropriating” Tagore for electoral gains, while BJP counters that TMC seeks to “monopolise” Tagore for regional politics.