500+ profs, academics launch Academics4NaMo campaign to ‘spread word about Modi govt’s achievements’

Primary objective of the initiative, says a member, is to 'ensure return of PM Narendra Modi' for a 3rd consecutive term by 'fostering the right discourse through scholarly efforts.'

Representational image | Photo by Manisha Mondal, ThePrint

New Delhi: Over 500 professors from across universities Monday unveiled a new initiative — Academics4NaMo — which aims to “disseminate information about the achievements of the Modi government to the intellectual world”.

The professors and researchers are all members of a group called Academics4Nation, an initiative to “create a vibrant academic discourse that engenders Indo-centric ideas, approaches, and points of view”.

The first meeting of Academics4NaMo, held at South Campus, Delhi University, had academics from DU, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Indian Institutes of Technology, Ambedkar University, and Indian Institute of Mass Communication, among others, in attendance.

Dr Devi Dayal Gautam, assistant professor, department of sociology at Delhi School of Economics & the convenor of Academics4Nation, outlined the initiative’s goal at the meeting: “Ensuring the return of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for a third consecutive term by creating a pragmatic narrative and fostering the right discourse through scholarly efforts.”

The campaign’s new website, www.academics4namo.com, was also unveiled. According to it, Academics4NaMo is an “effort of academics, intellectuals, and thought leaders to counter the propaganda of the opposition, create a positive environment, and spread the word about the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.”

Over the next 15 days, multiple meetings have been scheduled to take place at different institutes across the country.

During the Delhi meeting, Prof Shri Prakash Singh, Director of Delhi University, South Campus, and advisory council member of Academics4Nation, said that this is an “opportune moment for India to reclaim its glory through the developmental vision of the Honorable Prime Minister”, and stressed on the importance of conveying this message to the country’s thinkers, writers, and researchers, adding that this can only be achieved by re-electing Modi in 2024.

Dr Swadesh Singh, assistant professor, political science at Satyawati College (DU), and founder and former Convenor of Academics4Nation, said a similar effort was made during the 2019 general elections.

He also spoke about Modi’s “success” and the “need to advance an accurate narrative, acknowledging the vital role of mainstream media and social media in communicating facts and dispelling misinformation”.

The meeting concluded with a commitment that the Academics4NaMo campaign will contribute intellectually to PM Modi’s campaign in the upcoming 2024 general elections through brainstorming, dialogue, and action.