PaRCha - JNU - AISF-SFI - 2004 ID-38349
.
STUDENTS' FEDERATION OF INDIA.
Friends, Date: 24-01-05Real Issues before the Students:.
It has been, almost three months since the present JNUSU has assumed office. But unfortunately not a single student issue has been.
raised in this campus because of. the sheer obsession of the JNUSU President and AISA with the issue of Nestle. There are many.
students' demands which are persisting for quite sometime now. Firstly, there is the Issue of the financial assistance for needy.
students of the University. On the other hand, the students of this campus have demanded proper research facilities in terms of a.
modern upgraded library and better computer and internet facilities. The JNUSU President is yet to respond on any of these issues..
Apart from these long term demands of the student community, there are certain immediate problems facing the students-the most.
immediate of these being the problem of the students of Arts and Aesthetics which have not notified their MPhii/PhD programme inspite of the fact that the final year MA students are passing out this year and JNU Admission process has been notified. The JNUSU.
President has taken no initiative to address the problems of the students of SAA where the Councilor from SFI along with the studentsof the School has called for a protest demonstration tomorrow demanding MPhii/PhD Programme in the School. We appeal to thestudent community to participate in large numbers ln the Demonstration to stand in solidarity with the agitating students of SAA andpressurize the Administration to concede to their demands. The demand of temporary accommodation to married research studentsand construction of another wing of Mahanadi hostel should also be addressed immediately. While we are going for a UGBM on the.
2{J-. of this month, the Charter of Demands is not even mentioned as an agenda Item giving the Impression that the day to day.
problems of the students are not a matter of concern and only thing that matters is whether a particular outlet should stay in campus or.
nol We demand that the JNUSU takes up the Charter of Demands of the students on an immediate basis with the Administration and.
mobilize students for the struggle to ensure that the demands of the students are met..
Left Perspectivefor Struggle against MNCs:.
.
The issue of Nestle on the other hand has raised several questions before the left minded students in our campus in terms of theopposition to capitalism in general and MNCs in particular. It needs to be pointed out that all existent modes of production, accordingto Marx, are exploitative in nature. Now to only target the Nestle outlet for being exploitative is a totally ridiculous position to take not.
only because Nestle products are anyway being sold in the campus but also because such a position entajls a selective banning of.
certain outlets. Any such position which does not also question the existence of other MNCs like Group 4 or Tala lndicom must.
logically entail that these MNCs are not exploitative which is anything but a left position to take. The logic of banning the Nestle outleton the basis of exploitation must necessarily culminate to the position that one should actually do away with consumption of not only all.
exploitative. .
the NesUe products but of any commodity since all of them is produced under the capitalist mode of production which is essentiallyThe absurdity of such a position points to the fact that the struggle against capitalism or MNCs cannot be logically carried.
forward by selective banning of ouUets. In order to carry forward this struggle one needs to understand that exploitation is inherent in acapitalist system which takes place at the sphere of production and not consumption. The basis of this exploitation primarily being theownership of the means of production by a small minority of capitalists as opposed to the working class. Thus for a leftist any batUeagainst the oppression of the capitalist system must be directed towards organizing the working class to ultimately gain control on the.
means of production and end the monopoly of a small section of the population on it to end any form of exploitation. Any struggle of.
the Left against the monopoly of MNCs must be under this perspective having strong links with the movement of the working class.The working class movement in our country is battling against the nee-liberal economic policies which are ruining the lives of the.
majority. This battle is at the level of Government policy by building up mass movements under the leadership of the Left and not.
giving a call to ban any ou~et or products. Any sensible Left organization must mobilize large number of people against these policiesaffecting the working class and toiling masses insteadof indulging in mere sensationalism in the name of the Left..
Position on Nestle:.
Saying so it also needs to be pointed out that the Nestle outlet is an aberration to the existent norms of allotting dhabas or shops in ourcampus. It is the only outlet in our campus which sells exclusive products and indulges in corporate propaganda unlike any other suchshops in our campus. We demand that the renewal of the contract with Nestle oullet should be subject to the conditions that it sells.
diversified products, is not allowed to use JNU land for corporate propaganda and adheres to strict price and quality control. On the.
other hand we also believe that there is an urgent need for a policy framework in JNU to deal with allocation of shops in our campus.
and lo resist corporate control over public spaces. In this regard it also needs to be pointed out that the Nestle outlet is not the onlycorporate operating in our campus-Tata lndiacom and Group 4 being only two such examples. Thus there is the need to evolve such auniversally applicable policy if we are serious in our struggle to preserve the character of JNU rather than indulge in meresensationalism by demanding the scrapping of a particular outlet. Any such policy framework must ensure that not only the socially.
sensitive policy of allotting shops to people from the deprived sections is maintained but also its scope further widened..
Interestingly, in this ongoing debate the NSUI and the ABVP are completely silent whereas in the JNUSU elections they.
cret~ted much hue and cry on this issue. While they refuse to state their position on this, we want to remind the student community that.
they are the organizations who are stooges of the ruling parties hell bent upon selling off our country for a song. In other campuseswhile they support corporatisation and commercialization, here they are keeping silent on this issue in order to spread confusion.
among the students.We would like to appeal to all progressive and sensible students of this campus to take aprincipled and consistent position onthe issue of Nestle and isolate AI SA kind of sensationalism based on non-Marxist positions and rally behind the principled Left..
Sd/-Subhanil Chowdhury Sd/-President, SFI-JNU Parimal Maya SudhakarSecretary, SFI-JNU .
.. .
.
__... . ------ro= ..,......-.
.
PaRCha - JNU - AISF-SFI - 2004 ID-38349
.
STUDENTS' FEDERATION OF INDIA.
Friends, Date: 24-01-05Real Issues before the Students:.
It has been, almost three months since the present JNUSU has assumed office. But unfortunately not a single student issue has been.
raised in this campus because of. the sheer obsession of the JNUSU President and AISA with the issue of Nestle. There are many.
students' demands which are persisting for quite sometime now. Firstly, there is the Issue of the financial assistance for needy.
students of the University. On the other hand, the students of this campus have demanded proper research facilities in terms of a.
modern upgraded library and better computer and internet facilities. The JNUSU President is yet to respond on any of these issues..
Apart from these long term demands of the student community, there are certain immediate problems facing the students-the most.
immediate of these being the problem of the students of Arts and Aesthetics which have not notified their MPhii/PhD programme inspite of the fact that the final year MA students are passing out this year and JNU Admission process has been notified. The JNUSU.
President has taken no initiative to address the problems of the students of SAA where the Councilor from SFI along with the studentsof the School has called for a protest demonstration tomorrow demanding MPhii/PhD Programme in the School. We appeal to thestudent community to participate in large numbers ln the Demonstration to stand in solidarity with the agitating students of SAA andpressurize the Administration to concede to their demands. The demand of temporary accommodation to married research studentsand construction of another wing of Mahanadi hostel should also be addressed immediately. While we are going for a UGBM on the.
2{J-. of this month, the Charter of Demands is not even mentioned as an agenda Item giving the Impression that the day to day.
problems of the students are not a matter of concern and only thing that matters is whether a particular outlet should stay in campus or.
nol We demand that the JNUSU takes up the Charter of Demands of the students on an immediate basis with the Administration and.
mobilize students for the struggle to ensure that the demands of the students are met..
Left Perspectivefor Struggle against MNCs:.
.
The issue of Nestle on the other hand has raised several questions before the left minded students in our campus in terms of theopposition to capitalism in general and MNCs in particular. It needs to be pointed out that all existent modes of production, accordingto Marx, are exploitative in nature. Now to only target the Nestle outlet for being exploitative is a totally ridiculous position to take not.
only because Nestle products are anyway being sold in the campus but also because such a position entajls a selective banning of.
certain outlets. Any such position which does not also question the existence of other MNCs like Group 4 or Tala lndicom must.
logically entail that these MNCs are not exploitative which is anything but a left position to take. The logic of banning the Nestle outleton the basis of exploitation must necessarily culminate to the position that one should actually do away with consumption of not only all.
exploitative. .
the NesUe products but of any commodity since all of them is produced under the capitalist mode of production which is essentiallyThe absurdity of such a position points to the fact that the struggle against capitalism or MNCs cannot be logically carried.
forward by selective banning of ouUets. In order to carry forward this struggle one needs to understand that exploitation is inherent in acapitalist system which takes place at the sphere of production and not consumption. The basis of this exploitation primarily being theownership of the means of production by a small minority of capitalists as opposed to the working class. Thus for a leftist any batUeagainst the oppression of the capitalist system must be directed towards organizing the working class to ultimately gain control on the.
means of production and end the monopoly of a small section of the population on it to end any form of exploitation. Any struggle of.
the Left against the monopoly of MNCs must be under this perspective having strong links with the movement of the working class.The working class movement in our country is battling against the nee-liberal economic policies which are ruining the lives of the.
majority. This battle is at the level of Government policy by building up mass movements under the leadership of the Left and not.
giving a call to ban any ou~et or products. Any sensible Left organization must mobilize large number of people against these policiesaffecting the working class and toiling masses insteadof indulging in mere sensationalism in the name of the Left..
Position on Nestle:.
Saying so it also needs to be pointed out that the Nestle outlet is an aberration to the existent norms of allotting dhabas or shops in ourcampus. It is the only outlet in our campus which sells exclusive products and indulges in corporate propaganda unlike any other suchshops in our campus. We demand that the renewal of the contract with Nestle oullet should be subject to the conditions that it sells.
diversified products, is not allowed to use JNU land for corporate propaganda and adheres to strict price and quality control. On the.
other hand we also believe that there is an urgent need for a policy framework in JNU to deal with allocation of shops in our campus.
and lo resist corporate control over public spaces. In this regard it also needs to be pointed out that the Nestle outlet is not the onlycorporate operating in our campus-Tata lndiacom and Group 4 being only two such examples. Thus there is the need to evolve such auniversally applicable policy if we are serious in our struggle to preserve the character of JNU rather than indulge in meresensationalism by demanding the scrapping of a particular outlet. Any such policy framework must ensure that not only the socially.
sensitive policy of allotting shops to people from the deprived sections is maintained but also its scope further widened..
Interestingly, in this ongoing debate the NSUI and the ABVP are completely silent whereas in the JNUSU elections they.
cret~ted much hue and cry on this issue. While they refuse to state their position on this, we want to remind the student community that.
they are the organizations who are stooges of the ruling parties hell bent upon selling off our country for a song. In other campuseswhile they support corporatisation and commercialization, here they are keeping silent on this issue in order to spread confusion.
among the students.We would like to appeal to all progressive and sensible students of this campus to take aprincipled and consistent position onthe issue of Nestle and isolate AI SA kind of sensationalism based on non-Marxist positions and rally behind the principled Left..
Sd/-Subhanil Chowdhury Sd/-President, SFI-JNU Parimal Maya SudhakarSecretary, SFI-JNU .
.. .
.
__... . ------ro= ..,......-.
.