LSR SU Apologises to BJP Leader After College Cancels His Speech on Ambedkar

"We regret and apologise for the abrupt cancellation and the inconvenience caused to Mr Paswan," the union said.

After the event was cancelled, BJP leader Guru Prakash Paswan lashed out at the students' union, saying that the incident showcased the "epitome of intolerance".

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

After a controversy erupted when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Guru Prakash Paswan's speech at the Lady Sri Ram for Women (LSR) was cancelled on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, the students' union of LSR issued a statement on Friday, 15 April, apologising for the incident.

"We regret and apologise for the abrupt cancellation and the inconvenience caused to Mr Paswan," the student body said in a statement.

"Post releasing the event and speaker details, the SC ST cell received feedback from the student body, which consequently led to cancellation of the event," the students' union explained.

The 'Ambedkar Beyond the Constitution' talk, scheduled for 14 April, had been called off after a huge outcry from the LSR student body, with many students opposing Paswan's invitation for the Ambedkar Jayanti event.

'We Condemn SFI's Attempt of Trying to Speak for LSR's Students'

The SU's statement also added that the Students' Federation of India (SFI), a political organisation, had hailed the cancellation of the Ambedkar Jayanti event as their victory.

"The Students' Federation of India (SFI), a political organisation, has declared the cancellation of the event as their victory. Major media outlets have covered this entire incident as 'the leftist hegemonical establishment cancelling the Subaltern'," the student body said.

"We also condemn the SFI's conduct of trying to speak for the students of our college. The concerned organisation is neither recognised by nor affiliated with the institution. We find the statements released by them on the behest of this issue incredibly irresponsible and unnecessary."

LSR SU

These developments have caused immense grief to the student body of LSR as it has led to the student body being publicly attacked and typecast, the students' union said, adding that the college will always remain a place of intellectual discourse and deliberation.

What Had Happened?

A controversy had emerged after LSR rescinded the invitation given to BJP leader Guru Prakash Paswan to deliver a talk at the institute on Ambedkar Jayanti.

Paswan, national spokesperson of the BJP, was invited to deliver a talk at the prestigious Delhi University college, said on Thursday that the withdrawal of the invitation was the "epitome of intolerance."

"I was invited by LSR college for the event on Ambedkar Jayanti but was informed yesterday that due to a protest by the students union group, the show has been cancelled. It's an epitome of intolerance," Paswan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

He also added that it was unfortunate that a Dalit person had been stopped from speaking on Ambedkar Jayanti.

"It shows the dictatorial and totalitarian way of thinking of such groups especially SFI (Students Federation of India) who are stopping people from speaking. They've lost their relevance on the ground," the BJP leader asserted.

"Since we would like to refrain the atmosphere of the SC/ST Cell, especially LSR from becoming a political space instead of an academic one, it was in the best interest of the institution to cancel the event," a message from a student representative of the college read.

The message also cited the recent violence in Jawaharlal Nehru University and the communal disturbance in Karnataka as the reasons behind the cancellation of the talk.