Narendra Modi Controversy
In 2013, the WIEF organizers invited the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi to deliver the keynote address via video-conferencing. Three Indian-American UPenn professors, who were critical of Modi's handling of the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots, started a petition demanding the cancelation of the invitation, failing which they would protest his virtual presence at the event. In response, the WIEF organizers canceled the invitation, stating that they wanted to avoid putting Modi in a "compromising position". At the time of the decision, the petition had been signed by around 135 people, and the number of signatories grew to 250 later.
In Modi's support, the Shiv Sena leader Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu scrapped his visit to Wharton. Another speaker, the Wall Street Journal writer and journalist Sadanand Dhume, also pulled out from the forum in protest. He was replaced by Sudhir Parikh, a New Jersey-based eminent physician, philanthropist, publisher and Padma Shri awardee. However, Parikh too withdrew from the conference as a mark of protest. He stated, "The manner in which the committee has been pressurised to rescind its invitation to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on entirely suspicious grounds, I feel the intellectual integrity of the forum has been compromised." Ron Somers, also a keynote speaker, termed the decision to drop Modi as "unfortunate and disrespectful", but said that he would attend the event in order to make his point about free speech. Another keynote speaker Mohandas Pai also backed out complaining about mistreatment of Indians outside India; he mentioned the "shabby" treatment of Narendra Modi among other incidents such as the Italian marines controversy, Pakistan's reaction to Afzal Guru's hanging and Sri Lanka's treatment of Indian fishermen. The U.S. Congressman Eni Faleomavaega expressed disappointment at the decision, criticizing the protesters as "a segment of professors and students who are reaching beyond the law and coming awfully close to violating the rights of others who have a different view". Several others, including Rajiv Malhotra and the Indian Union Minister Shashi Tharoor also stated that Modi should not have been disinvited.
The Adani group, the platinum sponsors of the event, withdrew their sponsorship. Subsequently, Viacom 18's Colors, the silver sponsors, also pulled out. Hexaware, the bronze sponsor, also withdrew sponsorship, saying that its chairman Atul Nishar (a keynote speaker) would be unable to attend the event due to other business engagements.
Some media outlets reported that Arvind Kejriwal had been invited instead of Modi, but Kejriwal clarified that he had received the invitation several days before the decision to drop Modi was made. Kejriwal also expressed his disapproval of the decision to drop Modi.
After the controversy, the organizers announced that no media organizations other than TV Asia would be allowed to cover the event. This was for the first time in the 17 years history of the event that media was not given free access to cover the forum. A coalition of activists opposed to the decision came together under the banner of Americans for Free Speech, and organized a peaceful protest at the venue.
Read more about this topic: Wharton India Economic Forum, 17th WIEF, 2013
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“And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.”
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