Arvind Kejriwal invited by Wharton as Modi's replacement

05 March, 2013

Wharton Business School has invited activist-turned politician Arvind Kejriwal to the its annual conference 'Wharton India Forum' just a day after it cancelled Gujarat chief minister's address due to protests from various groups. The decision to cancel Modi's address has been accompanied by sharp reactions not only from political foes but also by Adani Group which was the platinum sponsor of the event.

The protest to Modi’s address was spearheaded by three Indian-American professors from University of Pennsylvania. The professors sent a petition signed by 135 people expressing extreme displeasure about the decision.

“It is the result of the pressure that we were able to bring over the organizers (Wharton India Economic Forum) in the last two days. I am very very proud of Wharton as well as the Penn University. But it still concerns us that he was invited in the first place," said Toorjo Ghosh, Assistant Professor of University of Pennsylvania and one of the three professors leading the protests.

He further said that the petitioners have risen from 135 to 250 by last night. Out of the 250 petitioners, interestingly, not one from the Wharton school had been signatory to the petition.

Post the announcement, Suresh Prabhu, member of the Shiv Sena who also was to address the event cancelled the same. Suresh said that the decision to cancel Modi’s address who is a three-time elected CM is ridiculous and as a mark of protest he would not be attending the event.

He said: “It was Wharton which invited him. Modi did not ask that he be invited. And if you are calling off the invite, I think it is not only an insult of the Gujarat chief minister but of the entire country.”

The BJP, reacting to the recent developments, stressed that the Gujarat CM does not require any certificates from any International body. BJP spokesperson said: “It is Modi's acceptance in India that matters. He needs no certificate from any international forum. He had not filed an application to speak at Wharton. They had invited him. Let them keep it.”

The Adani Group which was one of the platinum sponsors of the event chose to withdraw its sponsorship stating that there are already five sponsors sharing the cost of the program. The Adani group has a large presence in Gujarat, and like other industry houses, it has been thankful to the government support in the state.

Group chairman Adani would also not be attending the conference. “Adani had conveyed his inability to join Wharton India Economic Forum long back as he has other pressing commitments,” said a Group spokesperson.