Modi's fans snub Wharton; is B-school's name under stake?

New Delhi, March 14: The

-Wharton fiasco is refusing to die soon. Latest to protest against Wharton's decision to cancel Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's keynote address at the 17th edition of Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) slated on March 23 is a well Indian-American.

New Jersey-based eminent physician, philanthropist and publisher, Sudhir Parikh has reportedly withdrawn from participating at the annual WIEF in the wake of the organiser's decision to cancel Modi's address.

"As an immigrant of over 30 years standing and dedicated to promoting the cause of India and Indian Americans, I look forward to sharing my thoughts about NRIs as ambassadors of India," Dr Parikh told WIEF.

"However, the manner in which the committee has been pressurised to rescind its invitation to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on entirely suspicious grounds, I feel the intellectual integrity of the forum has been compromised," Dr Parikh said in his letter, a copy of which was made available to the media.

In fact, Parikh was invited to address the WIEF conference in place of The Wall Street columnist Sadanand Dhume, who had earlier withdrawn from the conference in protest of the forum's handling the Modi affair.

As per the original list of speakers, Modi was among the six original keynote speakers.

Two others Gautam Adani from the Adani Group and Atul Nishar, from Hexaware Technologies, have dropped off after Wharton's decision to rescind its invitation to Modi.

Even Shiv Sena leader Suresh Prabhu had pulled out of the conference in protest. "Wharton's move is an insult to India," Suresh Prabhu told.

OneIndia News