The New Political Economy Initiative (NPEI), a centre operating under the umbrella of IIT Bombay’s Centre for Liberal Education (CLE), has ignited a political firestorm and placed the premier institute under intense scrutiny. The controversy stems from NPEI’s role as a co-organizer of an academic workshop at the University of California, Berkeley, featuring a poster deemed highly inflammatory and partisan by critics.
The workshop, titled “South Asian Capitalism(s)” and scheduled for September 2025, is jointly presented by UC Berkeley and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. However, it is NPEI’s involvement as the domestic academic partner from India that has drawn sharp criticism, with questions being raised about the initiative’s funding, leadership, and ideological mandate.
The Provocative Poster
The core of the controversy lies in the event’s promotional poster.
It prominently displays images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, with the caption: “WE FOOL YOU.” Notably, the only religious figure depicted is a Hindu monk in saffron robes raising questions about selective targeting.
The workshop is promoted as an exploration of “how capitalist accumulation is socially structured across South Asia,” but the poster includes slogans such as “WE RULE YOU, WE FOOL YOU, WE SHOOT AT YOU” and a pyramid graphic titled “Capitalist India.”
The 3 figures in the We Rule You category seem to be aimed at the punching bags of the leftists – Ambani, Adani.
They also blame the Army in the poster by portraying them under “We Shoot At You”.
This has led to accusations that the NPEI, under the aegis of IIT Bombay, is endorsing a foreign event that deliberately targets and disrespects Indian elected officials, business leaders, and national security institutions.
NPEI Headed by UK Citizen Anush Kapadia
NPEI is headed by Anush Darius Kapadia, a UK citizen who serves on IIT Bombay’s faculty payroll. Kapadia has been described as central to the institute’s political economy initiatives.
His academic output includes four first-authored and one co-authored papers, of which three were submitted to Economic and Political Weekly (EPW), a magazine rather than a peer-reviewed journal. Questions have been raised about whether this body of work is sufficient for a faculty role at a premier Indian institution.
This guy, Anush Kapadia has authored 4 first-authored papers and one co-authored papers. Out of these 5 papers, 3 are submitted to Economic and Political Weekly, which is a magazine and not journal. Is this sufficient work to get into an IIT???@dpradhanbjp @iitbombay @PMOIndia https://t.co/Rs1xZN3w2S pic.twitter.com/U1R2a3zfCY
— 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐦 (Conch of Time 🐚) (@brahmasmiti) September 10, 2025
Kapadia is also part of this event at Berkeley.
Funding And Ideological Concerns
According to disclosures, NPEI has received funding worth ₹35 crore from the Ford Foundation. The involvement of foreign funding in sponsoring politically sensitive academic projects has raised concerns about external influence on India’s publicly funded institutions.
Critics allege that NPEI has consistently promoted the idea that Indian democracy is in decline, framing its work in ways that align with Western think-tank narratives critical of the Modi government. The Berkeley event has further fueled suspicions that NPEI provides academic cover to ideological campaigns targeting India’s political and economic structures.
New Political Economy Initiative works under Central for Liberal Education, IIT Bombay. It was co-organiser of South Asia Capitalism event.
This NPEI is headed by IIT Bombay faculty member and UK citizen Anush Kapadia. He is on Indian government payroll.
This NPEI also got… https://t.co/4oPKN7Tcls pic.twitter.com/evG61oURlA
— Harshil (હર્ષિલ) (@MehHarshil) September 10, 2025
The current controversy is not NPEI’s first brush with allegations of partisan activism. The initiative previously co-hosted conferences on political economy with similar critical themes. Its stated mission to study “the relations between state, market, and society in contemporary India” is now being viewed by critics through a lens of ideology rather than academic neutrality.
Detractors argue that the NPEI is using the respected platform of IIT Bombay to provide academic legitimacy to what they term as “regime change operations” and narratives that persistently claim, “Indian democracy is in trouble.” The Berkeley workshop poster is seen as the most blatant example of this alignment with a specific political viewpoint.
Calls for Accountability
The involvement of a taxpayer-funded premier institution like IIT Bombay has triggered demands for accountability from the highest levels. Critics are urging the Union Education Ministry, led by Dharmendra Pradhan, to intervene and clarify:
- Why is an IIT centre co-sponsoring an event with such explicitly provocative and disrespectful content?
- What are the protocols for vetting international collaborations and their promotional materials?
- What is the oversight mechanism for centres like NPEI that receive substantial foreign grants?
- What is the rationale behind allowing a foreign citizen to lead a centre that analyzes India’s domestic political economy?
IIT Bombay Clarification About Event
Following public outrage, IIT Bombay has issued a clarification stating, “A post regarding a flyer of a workshop on South Asian Capitalism was brought to the attention of the Institute authorities. This workshop is to be held at University of Berkeley in partnership with UC Berkeley and University of Massachusetts-Amherst for young scholars. IIT Bombay has a project related to New Political Economic Initiative. However, we were totally unaware about the published flyer. Upon hearing about this post, we issued immediate instructions to the organisers to take down the flyer from all social media platforms and remove IIT Bombay’s name from everything to do with this event. The details of the programme have been removed from the website of New Political Economy Initiative with immediate effect. No one from IIT Bombay is attending the conference. The Institute was not at all consulted about the flyer. We are deeply shocked and upset by its content. The Institute will cease to associate with these faculty members from UC Berkeley and University of Massachusetts-Amherst going forward. Further investigation into the matter will be conducted.”
A post regarding a flyer of a workshop on South Asian Capitalism was brought to the attention of the Institute authorities. This workshop is to be held at University of Berkeley in partnership with UC Berkeley and University of Massachusetts-Amherst for young scholars.
IIT Bombay… pic.twitter.com/BhMZV8A4Ds— IIT Bombay (@iitbombay) September 10, 2025
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
