New Delhi: On the backfoot after Nobel laureate Amartya Sen withdrew his candidature for a second term as Nalanda University Chancellor, alleging lack of approval by the Narendra Modi government for his continuation, the external affairs ministry went into damage-control mode, rejecting Prof. Sen’s contention, saying there was no attempt to “curtail his tenure”.

The MEA said it could not act as it was yet to receive the approved minutes of the governing board meeting that recommended a second term for Prof. Sen. There has always been an uneasy relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prof. Sen, a longtime critic of Mr Modi.

The Opposition parties attacked the BJP government, saying “dumping” him from the post was a “shame” and a “sad day” for the university. President Pranab Mukherjee is the university’s Visitor, and his assent is needed for governing board decisions.