Kolkata: The bitter tussle between Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and Visva-Bharati authorities has assumed political overtone with Trinamool Congress Twitter handle sharing a photograph of Amartya Sen in a bicycle which, the party claimed, as shared by the Nobel Prize Committee which offered the coveted prize to Sen in recognition to his contribution to the economy.
The Nobel Prize authorities' gesture is seen as a snub to Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty, who earlier cast doubt over Amartya Sen's credentials as a Nobel recipient. The Twitter handle shows a post of the photograph of Amartya Sen riding a bicycle on a muddy pathway with a mention that Sen used to ride a bicycle while he was doing research as an economist in Bolpur.
Sen and Visva-Bharati authorities are locked in a tussle over Sen's ancestral home, Pratichi. According to the Nobel Prize authorities, the economist's bicycle journey 40 years ago bears testimony to those days when Sen used to do research on economics which earned him the coveted prize, the committee observed. Meanwhile, a row is going on over Sen's ancestral home 'Pratichi' in Santiniketan.
It is understood that the Nobel Prize panel's Twitter post is aimed at clearing any misgiving about his Nobel prize which was given to Sen for his contribution to the economy. Vice-Chancellor of Visva Bharati Vidyut Chakraborty alleged that the economist has occupied 0.13-decibel extra land of Visva Bharati. He said in January, "Amartya Sen did not get the Nobel Prize though he claims himself as a Nobel recipient."
Chakraborty also gave a logic to substantiate his claim claiming no direct award in the form of a Nobel Prize is given in Economics and therefore, Amartya can't claim that he is a Nobel prize winner. Incidentally, the Nobel Prize in Economics is also given in memory of Alfred Nobel. However, in this case, the Nobel Foundation gave the prize money to the Nobel winner from a grant from Sweden's central bank, Soares Riksbank.
The Nobel Prize in Economics is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Notably, in 1998, Amartya Sen received the Nobel Prize for his research on economics and the 'Soares Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences. He was the first Indian to receive this award in economics before Abhijit Vinayak Bandyopadhyay received the Nobel in Economics.
