Another day, another opt-out: WIEF loses fifth keynote speaker in row

Ahmedabad, 15 March 2013

Phenomena of another day, another Keynote Speaker/Panelist saying ‘No’ to Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) 2013 is just not ending and continuing.

Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Group has said ‘No’ to WIEF 2013. Mohandas has thus become fifth Keynote speaker opting out of the event after Wharton’s controversial and highly criticized decision to drop Narendra Modi from the list of Key note Speakers under the pressure of couple of hundred online-active leftists – some of them like Professor Loomba have record of protesting penalty to a terrorist involved in Indian parliament attack. One of the left-wing radicals Turjo Ghosh who protested invitation to Mr. Modi has arrest record.

Those Key note speakers who have already opted out of this controversial event are Gautam Adani, Atul Nishar, Milind Deora and Dilip Cherian before Mohandas Pai. Those who have canceled sponsorship of this controversial event are; Adani Group, Colors TV and Hexaware Technologies.

A list of names of panelists who choose to boycott the event is very long, and it is getting longer every day. Wharton has to cancel entire NRI related session due to this. First panelist to boycott the event over highly criticized decision of dropping Mr. Modi was former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu.

In the wake of controversy around the event and highly criticized conduct of the organizers, the problem WIEF facing now is not just about existing panelists and key note speakers leaving the event, but it is also about great difficulty in convincing any new dignitary to join the event as key note speaker or panelist.