14 October,2014 04:46 AM IST | | Niranjan Medhekar
Mid-day had reported how the VC of Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Dr Deepak Tilak, had allegedly made it mandatory for some of the varsity staff to attend his son Rohit’s road show yesterday; after mid-day’s calls to the Tilaks on Sunday, attendance
was made optional for the staffers
Rohit Tilak
After receiving calls from mid-day on Sunday afternoon enquiring whether the vice-chancellor of Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth (TMV), Dr Deepak Tilak, was compelling teaching and non-teaching staff to participate in his son Rohit Tilak's political campaign yesterday, the TMV management sent a fresh message to the staff, informing them that being part of Rohit's road show was not mandatory.
Rohit Tilak, the Congresss candidate from Kasba
mid-day had reported on the issue yesterday (âLokmanya Tilak's grandson misusing varsity resources for political gain?'). Deepak Tilak is the grandson of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Rohit, the Congress candidate from Kasba constituency, is the freedom fighter's great-grandson.
Mid-day's report on the issue. Pic/Shashank Sane
"The staff had got a message on Saturday to be present for the road show and then, on Sunday evening, we got another communication from the VC that participation was not mandatory. Those of us on contract knew we had no choice but to be present if we wanted our yearly contracts renewed, but Sunday's fresh communication came as a blessing. Most of us did not go for the road show, we didn't want to anyway," a teacher from the university told mid-day yesterday.
Another teacher said, "We got both the messages, first to be present for the road show and the other informing us that it was not compulsory, from the same woman, who is close to the management. I did not attend the road show."
Some of the non-teaching staff did attend the rally. Manish Bhootkar from TMV's Mukundnagar campus said, "Yes, I participated in the road show today (Monday). But that was because I am a Congress party worker and not because it was compulsory."
Asked if non-teaching staff like him had got the message about participation not being mandatory, he said, "I did not go the university on Sunday as I was busy campaigning. I don't know whether any such message was relayed to the non-teaching staff by the management."
Speaking to mid-day on Sunday, both Dr Deepak Tilak and Rohit had denied that the varsity had made it mandatory for its staff to attend the road show on Monday.
