KOLKATA: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen tonight ruled out reconsidering his decision not to seek second term as Chancellor of Nalanda University, saying that the government had decided "not to have me".
The 82-year-old economist's decision to withdraw his candidature as the university Chair for the second term after complaining about political interference in academic matters has sparked off a controversy.
The Union government had not forwarded his name for a second term to the Visitor, President Pranab Mukherjee, despite unanimous recommendation of his name by the university's governing body, he had said yesterday.
Asked whether he would reconsider his decision, Sen told PTI, "No. I think there is no reason for me to reconsider. It is not about my tenure, it is about academic freedom....they (government) have decided not to have me."
He maintained that the government's claim that minutes of the governing body's meeting had not reached it was "false".