Students urge Harvard to sever ties with Subramanian Swamy

Washington: Upset over his recent article on Islamic terrorism in an Indian newspaper, a group of Harvard students are urging the varsity authorities to sever ties with the Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy, who teaches economics at this prestigious University every summer.

"We demand that the Harvard administration repudiate Swamy''s remarks and terminate his association with the University," says a petition campaign launched by students of the Harvard University. The petition posted on the website of the Harvard University and signed by more than 240 students, faculty and post-doctoral fellows, so far, says that they are outraged to learn that Subramanian Swamy, whose recent editorial shows him to be a bigoted promoter of communalism in India, also teaches economics at Harvard University Summer School.
Swamy teaches Economics S-110: "Quantitative Methods in Economics and Business" and Economics S-1316: "Economic Development in India and East Asia".
Donald H Pfister, Dean of the Harvard Summer School has said that the school will examine the issue.

"At this point we have only a basic awareness of the situation and have not been contacted by the organizations involved," Pfister was quoted as saying by ''The Harvard Crimson''. "Professor Swamy is a long-time member of the Harvard Summer School faculty who previously was a member of the Department of Economics here. We will give this matter our serious attention," Pfister was quoted as saying.
Swamy, however, told the Crimson that the Indian response to his op-ed has been positive.
"I don''t think anyone in India, except the left wing, has been upset by my article. There has been wholesale support," he said.