After Dilip Ghosh, Netaji’s grandnephew criticises Amartya Sen for ‘dirty politics’

Three days after Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh drew flak for personal attacks on economist Amartya Sen, Netaji’s grandnephew and BJP leader Chandra Bose took potshots against the Nobel laureate.

Bose added to the ongoing controversy by alleging that the 83-year old economist has stooped low to ‘playing dirty politics’. His contention: Sen criticised the Union government and prime minister in political language.

“I do not entirely agree with Shri #DilipGhosh, but I must say that Dr #AmartyaSen called for it by stooping low from his position of being a Nobel Laureate to playing dirty politics,” wrote Bose in Facebook.

“There is no question that Amartya Sen is one of the best economists in the world right now. But in his statements and speeches he is speaking the language of politicians. As an economist he could have debated and criticised the demonetization move. But calling the move despotic and making sweeping statements against it is purely political,” Bose told HT.

Bose, 56, lobbied hard for the declassification of secret files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and contested Assembly elections in 2016 on a BJP ticket against chief minister Mamata Banerjee from Bhawanipore constituency in south Kolkata.

Bose praised Sen, but questioned the efficacy of his economic theories. “While studying aboard, I was lucky to hear his lectures a couple of times. His economic theories mainly for Third World countries were great. But has his theories ever been implemented? If so, what was the result? No one knows. His ideas were leftist,” added Bose.

Bose’s statements drew sharp criticism from different sections.

Read: People like Amartya Sen spineless, can be bought or sold: West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh

“The Rightists have no icons or faces. Therefore, they are targeting stalwarts like Amartya Sen. Repeated attacks indicate that they want to threaten these intellectuals who make the country proud. Apart from being an economist, Sen has continuously worked for the poor and downtrodden,” said Md Salim, CPI(M) Lok Sabha MP told HT.

Kalyan Banerjee, Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP said that such attacks only helps in exposing the mindset of BJP leaders.

“They are targeting him because he categorically spoke against the ill effects of demonetisation. Sen stated that the move was wrong and hurt the people. By attacking a person like Amartya Sen, BJP leaders are only losing their own prestige and are being exposed,” said Banerjee.

Controversy began after Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh on February 11, “We have a Nobel Prize winner. He is a Bengali, he is alive. We are very proud of that. What has he achieved? Nobody in Bengal understands this. No one in the world understands it. I have doubts whether he himself understands it.”

Ghosh alleged that such intellectuals and ‘spineless’ and can be bought and sold easily.