Mamata’s makes bold pitch for Oxford Univ campus in Kolkata
The Statesman | 29 March 2025
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee made a surprising diplomatic move on Thursday during her four-day UK visit, directly approaching Oxford University with an unprecedented request to establish a campus in Kolkata. The trip, aimed at strengthening international partnerships, saw the CM actively engaging with key academic and policy leaders across the UK.
“May I place a request to the Oxford University and both of them, my friends, philosophers and guide, Prof J Michie and Lord Karan Bilimoria,” she said, while addressing a packed audience at Oxford University’s Kellogg College. “Can’t you set up a campus in Kolkata? At least one in India. Please start from Kolkata. Whenever you will start, within a day, I can give you the land along with the infrastructure and facilities. Our students are already available there.”
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The pitch signals her tireless efforts towards positioning Kolkata as a potential global academic hub. By offering immediate land and infrastructure support, she has extended a direct invitation to one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
Later, she wrote on her X-handle about her experience in Oxford University. Penning a few lines in Bengali, she referenced revolutionary Matangini Hazra to say that Bengal’s voice will reverberate throughout the world. “From the day I lost my father as a child, life has been a battle, one that I have fought as a student leader, as the voice of the opposition, and now as the head of a people’s government. I have never shied away from struggle, and I never will. But I will not allow anyone to diminish Bengal’s achievements or question the sacrifices that have shaped our progress.
“It was a moment of personal pride to see scholars, academicians, and thought leaders recognise the Bengal Model we have built with such dedication. Standing at the University of Oxford, one of the world’s most esteemed institutions, I had the privilege of sharing Bengal’s remarkable growth story. It was an experience I shall cherish forever,” she wrote.