The 43rd convocation ceremony of DU is scheduled to be held on February 28.

"He will certainly deliver a speech on the occasion of receiving his Doctor of Laws degree, but that will not be a convocation speech," Prof Faiz told The Daily Star categorically denying that Yunus would be the convocation speaker.

The VC said DU authorities in a letter on February 15 invited him to receive the honorary degree and to be the convocation speaker. Reading out Yunus's reply letter to DU authorities invitation, the VC said he gave consent to receiving the Doctor of Laws degree but Yunus did not say whether he would be the convocation speaker.

"Earlier, Pakistan's Nobel laureate Prof Abdus Salam and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina also delivered speeches on the occasion of receiving their degrees. Prof Yunus's will deliver a speech like they did but it will not be as the convocation speaker," Prof Faiz said.

However, the VC did not disclose this to the Academic Council meeting held February 18 despite a number of teachers opposed Yunus on the campus as convocation speaker for his present position. Even the VC remained silent in this regard until yesterday afternoon.

Asked why it was not disclosed earlier, the VC said, "There were only five teachers at the council meeting who opposed Yunus as convocation speaker and their protest was not strong, so I did not feel it was worth disclosing this earlier. But newspapers ran biased news items on this."

Yunus's possibility of becoming the convocation speaker sparked protest from a large section of DU teachers and different student organisations. They said a politician was never invited to the convocation as convocation speaker and Yunus became a politician by announcing his political party.

At a press conference yesterday, pro-Awami League Blue Panel teachers demanded that Yunus not be made convocation speaker.

Former Dhaka University Teachers' Association (Duta) president Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique said if the convocation was held on its previous schedule of December 24, teachers would allow Yunus there as convocation speaker since he had no political leanings then. But by announcing a political party, he has become a politician, the professor added.

At the press conference Prof Nazma Shaheen said the Nobel laureate has formed a political party and the formation of a political party means Yunus has a political opponent. So, he is a controversial person now, she added.

If a party chief attends the convocation as convocation speaker then the long tradition and sanctity of the DU convocation would be tarnished, as no politically affiliated person has been made convocation speaker in the 86 years of history of the university, Shaheen said.