Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to be the Chief Guest at the Delhi University's 93rd annual convocation, to be held in the last week of November. Sources told The Pioneer that the university sent an invitation to the Prime Minister’s Office and was busy with arrangements for the event.
DU Vice-Chancellor, Yogesh Tyagi said that they have already started the preparation while they were waiting for “confirmations”. However, he refused to confirm the names on the guest list.
“The Delhi University has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be the chief guest for its annual convocation in November. While the PMO has almost agreed…the exact date is yet to be confirmed," said a source.
The Delhi University is finally going to host its 93rd convocation, which is delayed by eight months against its usual time. Earlier the convocation was to take place in March but this year the PhD students expressed disappointment over the delay. They were asked to apply for the degree certificate.
"We are still exploring things about the convocation... mainly the date. The first and mid-week of November is not possible but we are juggling between November 19 to 22," Tyagi added.
As an alternative, keeping in mind any possible changes in the PM’s schedule, DU has also sent an invitation to the HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who is also the Chancellor of the university.
Earlier this year, Jamia Milia Islamia had also sought PM's appointment for its convocation ceremony but "due to prior appointments", Modi could not be a part of it. Even the former HRD Minister Smriti Irani couldn’t join the ceremony, cititing similar reasons.
DU convocation ceremony is known for its grand celebratory appeal. President Pranab Mukherjee has been a part of this ceremony in 2013 while lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung graced the ceremony in 2014.