CM Mamata Banerjee has been invited to speak at the Oxford Union debate next year. She’s the first Indian woman leader and administrative head to have received the invitation from one of the most prestigious student societies in the UK.
Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the global debate may happen on a virtual platform, sources at Nabanna said. In a letter to Banerjee, the organizers have sought convenient dates between mid-January and mid-March 2021. Sources added the CM would be allowed to speak on a topic of her choice. “The CM is likely to attend the debate, the invite for which came on Wednesday. It is an honour for the whole state,” said an official.
Leaders such as US presidents Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton; and British PMs Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron and Theresa May have participated in the Oxford Union debates. Luminaries and legends like Albert Einstein, Michael Jackson and the Dalai Lama have also taken part.
In September 2011, Banerjee was invited by Harvard University to give a keynote address. As Union railway minister in 2010, she was invited to speak at Cambridge University too. She was unable to attend either.
Source:Times of India
