Alok Verma was sent an invite by the organisers last week after he was reinstated to the post of CBI Director by the Supreme Court. Alok Verma was sent an invite by the organisers last week after he was reinstated to the post of CBI Director by the Supreme Court.

Deposed CBI chief Alok Verma has been invited to be a keynote speaker at Delhi’s Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) Students’ Union Business Conclave 2019 on February 14, the same platform which, effectively, launched Narendra Modi’s prime ministerial campaign for the 2014 general elections.

Verma was sent an invite by the organisers last week after he was reinstated to the post of CBI Director by the Supreme Court. He has already agreed to be the keynote speaker and is likely to speak about his story of what it takes to build organisational identity through personal history.

Besides Verma, Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Suresh Prabhu and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia are also tentatively scheduled to participate in the event which has witnessed high-profile participation in recent years.

An annual event, the SRCC Students’ Union Business Conclave is scheduled to be held this year from February 14 to 16 at the college premises in Delhi. It shot into national prominence after Modi used the platform to unveil his national ambitions in 2013.

As Gujarat CM and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Modi delivered a speech on “Emerging business models in the global scenario” at the same event in February 2013. Modi kept the focus on youth, development and growth where he also spoke about how Swami Vivekananda should be a role model for India’s youth.

“This nation is being ruined by vote bank politics. This nation requires development politics. If we switch to politics of development, we will soon be in a position to bring about lasting change and progress,” Modi had said at the event.

Dalai Lama, Mukesh Ambani, P Chidambaram, Pranab Mukherjee and Late A P J Abdul Kalam are among those who have spoken at the event in the past. Last year, businessman Gautam Adani had given the closing address at the event.

“There are 24 to 25 sessions in each event spread over three days. Besides keynote speakers, we have townhall events and panel discussions. The full list of speakers for this year is being worked on,” one of the organisers said.

Verma, who was controversially removed from the post of CBI Director in October last year based on the recommendations of the Central Vigilance Commission, was reinstated by the Supreme Court last week. He was again moved out of the post by the decision of the high power committee, chaired by PM Modi, with a 2-1 majority.

Although he reached the age of superannuation last year, Verma’s tenure as CBI Director was to end on January 31, as a two-year fixed term for that post is guaranteed by law. He has since written to the government that he may be considered as having superannuated but a decision from the government is awaited.

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