Wrong to remove Ajit Ranade from Pune’s Gokhale Institute: Raj Thackeray
Ranade, a noted economist, was removed from the renowned institution on September 14 following a fact-finding committee report that probed complaints of irregularities in his appointment
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday termed the removal of Ajit Ranade from the post of vice-chancellor at Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE), “grossly wrong”. He has also asked the state government to speak with the Centre to change the decision.
The MNS chief also questioned the timing of the removal saying why Ranade’s experience was not taken into account when he was appointed as vice-chancellor at GIPE in February 2022.
Ranade, a noted economist, was removed from the renowned institution on September 14 following a fact-finding committee report that probed complaints of irregularities in his appointment.
The letter referred to the findings of the committee set up to investigate allegations against Ranade followed by a show cause notice issued to him by the then chancellor Rajiv Kumar on June 27, 2024.
After review, the panel concluded that Ranade’s qualifications did not meet the norms set forth by the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.
“It is very wrong to remove a highly educated person like Rande, who has done a lot in the private sector, in such a manner,” Thackeray said in a post on X.
“If a person like Rande voluntarily enters the field of education but is discouraged by such a move by the government, then can any other expert and stalwart come again in this field? Is it the ‘new educational policy’ which aims to humiliate and expel people in this manner,” Thackeray asked.
The MNS chief further said although the matter does not directly come under the purview of the state government, “It should have a dialogue with the Centre and correct the mistake made by the UGC.”
The removal of Ranade comes amid ongoing positive changes he initiated at the institute, including the launch of “Geosquare”, a centre for geopolitics and geoeconomics, and the introduction of two new master’s programmes. Under his tenure, GIPE also upgraded its classrooms, expanded its hostel capacity from 280 to 400 beds, and invested ₹50 lakh to restore the heritage SIS Hall.
On his part, Ranade, a former member of the Board of Management at GIPE, had termed the decision “unfortunate” and “shocking”.
“For the past two and a half years, I have been working diligently and to the best of my ability, contributing to positive developments in the institute. These results seem to have been completely ignored,” Ranade said.
Before joining the institute as the vice-chancellor, he was the executive president and chief economist with the Aditya Birla Group. His 32-year career spanned both academic and corporate assignments as he was engaged in teaching at universities in India and the United States.
