PaRCha - JNU - AISA - 2008 ID-4558

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Braving Roadblocks, Defeating Cynicism, .

27 .04.08.

ThB Quest For A Socially-Inclusive JNU Is Bound To March OnII.

Over the past two weeks, we have seen a determined struggle for a socially just campus, for democratisation ofeducation In JNU and for administrative neutrality. The relay hunger strike, that lasted 11 days and saw the participationof more than 100 students, finally forced a reluctant administration to concede to many of JNUSU's key demands. Therewas however another striking feature ofthe agitation-SFI's token presence, which ofcourse the campus has got used toby now. SFI resorts to toke.nis~ even when it supposedly leads an agitation: and this was ofcourse, as th~y have freelyadmitted, a JNUSU-Ied ag1tat1on. Throughout the two-week long campasgn, the SFI made no attemptto mobilisestudents. nomess campaigns, no room-to-room campaigns, no pamphlets, no posters. Theircouncillors IntheUnion, as well as their leadership, could not even mobilise themselves to attend the two programmes thatJNUSU had durrng the hun~erstrike, forget about mobilising others. On one night, they did not even offer a singlerepresentative either from their organisation, or from JNUSU to participate in the hunger strike. All this amounts tonothing but a consciously calibrated tokenism to weaken the movement as much as possible..

SFI's excuse for their poor participation was ''academic pressure". We would like to tell the SFI: Academicpressure is, unfortunately for yo~, .

not divided on party lines. Hundreds of students, in spite of their exams,though itimportant to participate man agitation ofsuch significance for the future ofJNU. It is unfortunatethatyou did not. You are insulting your own slogan of "study and struggle" by giving such excuses!.

To hide their poor participation and token presence, the SFI has resorted to undermine the significance of thedemands that the administration has conceded to. They have asked "some questions on the JNUSU-Ied agitation" whichthey apparently did not ask at the many fora that the agitation provided -JNUSU council meetings, all-organisationmeetings and protest demonstrations-for the sake of''unity" ofthe movement. Wewould like to askthe SFI: where was.

your concern for unity when your leaders and your councillors in JNUSU used every available platform to actively stallJNUSU'.

s plans to escalate the momentum of the agitation by going in for an indefinite hunger strike? Why was it that youdid not raise these concerns, ifyou indeed thought they were genuine, at the very first JNUSU council meeting (13th April).

when the agenda and perspective ofthe agitation was set out? Ifanything, SFI pretended to support the perspective ofthemovement in toto. It is another matter that SFI probably does not think democratic decision-making and seeking toestablish unity of opinion is important, if the way their councillors went about their "agitation" is anything to go by!Coming to the "questions" that the SFI has raised: to begin with, the SF! has introduced a hierarchy in JNUSU.

'sdemands using words like "central and foremost", "relegated to the background" and the like. By using such phrases, theSFI has shown that it has completely failed to understand the thrust and spirit of the movement, which wasarticulated right from the beginning of the agitation. "Central and foremost" to the agitation was not one single.

demand, but a vision of a socially just and inclusive, gender sensitive, democratic, and secular campus, andall the demands related to reservation, recognition of Madarsa certificates, UGC fellowships, the question ofthe biased Proctorial Board, rights and facilities for PH students, fee waivers for Third World students, or a.

better health centre, were means towards that common end. This agitation carried forward the legacy of themovement for deprivation points in JNU. .

Implementation of 27% OBC reservation: SFI has asked the JNUSU office bearers ifOBC reservations would be.

implemented in JNU because ofthe current agitation, given that the JNU administration has already agreed to implementOBC reservations at one go, and glven a favourable Supreme Court judgement. SFI would do well to understand that.

every progressive step towards a socially justcampus, and towards a socially inclusive and secular admissionpolicy, needs mass mobilisation and a sustained student movement for its effective implementation, withoutorwithout favourable legislations. "Premier'' institutions like IITs and IIMs will not be implementing 27% reservationswithout staggering this year, in spite ofthe Supreme Courtverdict. On our own campus, castelst organisations like YFEare right now distributing black badges in protest and spreading misinformation regarding the Supreme Court verdict. Allkinds of snags are possible: cut-off marks, pleas of lack of infrastructure, and many others. Given this openly casteist.

and hostile atmosphere, where right-wing forces will try their level best to stall implementation of reservations, rt isincumbent upon us to continuously put pressure on an insensitive and reluctant administration to ensure than legisla-tions and promises on paperare translated on the ground. There can be no let-up in vigilance and mobilisation forensuring implementation of progressive policies. The SFI should understand and internalise this, if it is at allserious about ensuring reservations. .

However, we know from past experience that SFI is least Interested in ensuring reservations for OBCs. They have along and shameful track record of reneging on the issue. During the first phase of Mandai Commission in 1990, SFI.

abstained from voting on the JNUSU resolution floated by the then JNUSU President (not from SFI), whereby the pro-Mandairesolution was defeated in the UGBM.As a result the then JNUSU who supported the Mandai Commission in toto, had to.

resign. Again, just two years back, during Mandai II (2006), when YFE was running a maliciously casteist campaign onthis campus, with hunger strikes and slanderous pamphlets, SFI was nowhere in the picture. It was AI SAthat foughtthe.

YFE tooth and nail, through posters and pamphlets and on the streets through a 34-day long hunger strike, confrontingYFE head-on every inch ofthe way. One can understand their problem: There are just5% reservations forOBCs in.

CPM-ruled West Bengal, and the recent Supreme Court verdict is a serious headache for them, who are leastcommitted to reservations apart from lip service and shrill rhetoric. .

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resolution was defeated in the UGBM. As a result the then JNUSU who supported the Mandai Commission in toto, had to.

resign. Again, just two years back, during Mandai II (2006), when YFE was running a maliciously casteist campaign onthis campus, with hunger strikes and slanderous pamphlets, SFI was nowhere in the picture. ItwasAISAthat foughtthe.

YFE tooth and nail, through posters and pamphlets and on the streets through a 34-day long hungerstrike, confronting.

YFE head-on every inch ofthe way. One can understand theirproblem: There arejust5% reservations forOBCs In.

.

CPM-ruled West Bengal, and the recent Supreme Court verdict Is a serious headache for them, who are least.

committed to reservation& apart from lip service and shrill rhetoric. .

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