JNU bought 500 books on DDU

New Delhi: For a book exhibition on Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth anniversary, JNU had some advice for participating publishers  —  display literature relating to B.R. Ambedkar. and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

The Dr B.R. Ambedkar Central Library of the Jawaharlal Nehru University sent a mail to all participating publishers on Nov. 10, advising them to display only books published in 2016-17, apart from any book on Ambedkar and Udadhyaya, published anytime.

“All books on B.R Ambedkar and Pandit Deen Dayal may also be displayed,” said the letter signed by the library’s professional assistant Rishabh Jain, a copy of which is with PTI.

JNU had organised the day-long exhibition on Nov. 14. Librarian Ramesh C. Gaur, however, said the exhibition had nothing to do with Nehru’s anniversary, and denied that any guidelines were given to the publishers.    

Mr Gaur said this was the first time that such a large exhibition had been organised by the university. Sixty vendors and publishers took part in it, he said.

One of the publishers who participated in the exhibition said that he had received an official e-mail from the university which advised them to display books on the Hindutva icon and the Dalit social reformer.

“There was an official e-mail from JNU to all participating publishers telling us to display books on Upadhyaya and Ambedkar,” the publisher said. He said as many more than 500 books on Ambedkar and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya were recommended for procurement by the library.

JNU-NSUI state president V. Yadav said the JNU showed respect to Nehru by holding the book fair on his birth anniversary.