New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Two alumni of the Harvard Kennedy School said on Wednesday that the need for releasing a counter statement to a previous open letter arose because they wanted to "call out attempts to distort the global perception about India".

At least 44 signatories from various schools and centres at Harvard University released a joint statement on Wednesday expressing deep concern over "negative public discourse" and a "concerted campaign" against India's constitutional institutions, following the Opposition-led protest in Delhi seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) controversy.

Speaking to IANS, Harvard Kennedy School alumnus Chetan Aggarwal said: "The need for this statement arose because we wanted to call out attempts by some people who want to distort the global perception about India."

"They are creating apprehensions about India's vibrant democracy and they are using abusive language for constitutional authorities, including the Supreme Court, Parliament, Election Commission, etc. This is unacceptable," he added.

Asserting that all kinds of democratic debates are possible and taking place in India, Aggarwal said: "Some people are attempting to create law-and-order problems and are hurting India's international standing."

He also expressed opposition to alleged attempts at using Harvard University's name to lend credibility to a political campaign without appropriate authorisation, saying: "People are attempting to misuse the institutions like Harvard for their political agenda."

While maintaining that working professionals like him do not usually get into such things, Aggarwal said: "It is the need of the hour to come together and call out those who are endangering India and our vibrant democracy."

Notably, after the open letter by 100 Harvard University alumni condemned the crackdown on protests in New Delhi, Harvard Club of India came out with a clarification that it did not endorse or issue any statement from the university regarding the ongoing protests in Delhi.

Harvard Kennedy School alumnus Prateek Som also clarified that the recent joint statement is a "collective position of individuals belonging to an institution, but not an institutional statement".

While maintaining that the right to protest is fundamental, Som told IANS: "It cannot be a license to undermine or to intimidate the constitutional authorities and disregard the rule of law. A political difference or a protest can be against the establishment or against the government. That is understandable. But these institutions operate under a framework, which cannot be and should not be allowed to be intimidated."

Referring to the INDIA bloc wanting to meet the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, he said: "In any of the petitions, when the notice is issued and the matter becomes sub judice, then it cannot be adjudicated on the administrative side. What we are seeing in the name of protest, even the honorable Supreme Court is being intimidated."

Som added that even this statement is not an official statement from any institution.

Public policy professional and BJP spokesperson Surabhi Hodigere, one of the signatories to the joint statement, said: "This statement was required from the wider Harvard community, mainly because an earlier statement had suggested that Delhi was almost under siege due to the protests. Claims were made about what was happening without any evidence or substantiation."

"It also gave the impression that alumni held a homogeneous opinion, when that was not the case. Therefore, it was necessary for us to voice our views as well. As you know, whether at universities in India or abroad, there is a diversity of views. It was important for us to give those views a voice and ensure that our perspective was also heard. These claims cannot be made when none of them has been proven," she added.

--IANS

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