PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2001 ID-41742

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This year's JNUSU elections are taking place in the shadow of the Gujarat carnage. The state-sponsored massacre of innocent members of the minority community which took place in Gujarat in the weeks following the condemnable Godhra inC1dent. shows the extent to which a fascist force can go in order to dtng on to state power It 1s only because of the resilience of the democraticinstitutions of our country that Modi and hiS colleagues could not succeed in gaining immediate political mileage elsewhere in the country from the Gujaratpogrom,but we already have Singhal's wammg .

that "Gujarat is an experiment worth repeatmg across the country. .

This aggressive punuit of the hindutva agenda by the sangh giroh has been taking place at a time when there is a right-ward shift in the wor1d political Situation as awhole. In order to strengthen its imperialisthegemony overthe globe and to deflectdomestic attention from the ongoing economic crisis, .

the United States is set to put its doctrine of 'unilateral pre-emptive strikes' into practice in Iraq. In Palestine the lsraen slate's aggression against the Palestinian liberation movement continues unabated. .

The BJP-ted government in our country has completely surrendered our national interests in favour of US-led imperialism. It has intensified its pursuit of nee-liberal economic policies despite their disastrous impact on the wor1dng people ofourcountry.The selfing off of pubfiC assets .

for a song continues apace, with those in power enriching themselves in the process through innumerable scams. .

The present government has not only intensified its attacks on the livelihood of the people, it has also failed to protect their lives.The repeated terrorist attacks-the attack on the Parliament, J&K Assembly, Kaluchak and recenUy the Akshardham attack-show the impossibility of countering the terrorist threat by draconian laws like POTA. Terrorism can be fought only by uniting the people, something inimical to the sangh's dfvisive politics. .

Concomitant to its aggressive pursuit ofltle hindutva agenda, the RSS-BJP has also intensified its attack In the sphere or ideas. The recently released NCERT textbooks are meant to tum every school of our country into a Saraswati Sishu Mandir where young minds will be poisoned by communal propaganda. In our own university we have faced the renewed attack of privatisation and saffronisation in the form .

or the last administration's XPlan Proposals. .

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JNUSU 2001-02.

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'-· The last JNUSU, formed after a massrve mandate by the student community in favour of the SFI-AISF, took the lead in mobilising the universtty community against this attack. ' It was after a long and arduous struggle that the \ Administration was forced to agree that any proposal will be placed before the UGG's X Plan team only if it is .

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put forward by a specific School/Centre, supported by .

an academic argument, passed by a democratic body .

such as Board of Studies of the School concerned and .

then accepted by the Dean's Committee constituted specifically for this purpose Not only academic proposals but other proposals too will come into the purview of this committee This IS a major breakthrough against the attack of pnvatisation and saffronisation. ensuring that the university's XPlan is prepared by the academic community of the umversity and not according to the directives of the RSS BJP. .

Together with forcing the review of XPlan Proposals, the last ag1tation also succeeded in defeating the BJP-Ied government's plan of foisting a RSS Vice Chancellor in our university The MiniStry, which was inordinately delaying the appointment of a new V.C., perhaps waiting for a more favourable incumbent in Rashtrapati Bhavan, was forced to expedite the process after the JNUSU took up the issue, canying out a massive signature campaign and making a representation to the President of India. .

Throughout this struggle, there were repeated attempt'i of disruption by the RSS-ABVP. On the night f _811 February the ABVP in our campus brought out an extremely provocative communal march targeting students and faculty members from the minority community. The SFI-AISF led· JNUSU organised a series of demonstrations wiltlin and outside the campus in defence of peace and communal hannony. This campaign culminated in a massive human chain in the campus on 1411 March in which more than 600 students, teachers and karamcharts participated. Again on 1O" August a RSS-ABVP mob attacked students who were .

peacefully protesting against the RSS's gurudakshina programme within the Ad.Block in which Ashok Singhal was the Chief Guest .

Together with the mobilisation against the X Plan and the RSS-ABVP's lumpenlsm, struggles were also waged under the JNUSU banner against the concrete manifestation of the policies of privatisation and commercialisation.Some of the issues raised during the course of these struggles are: .

LIBRARY & INTERNET .

4,500 new books came on the shelves of the library among which were also those requisitioned by the students during the Wor1d Book Fair. The DELNET facility for inter-library loan was revived. After the recent agitation, the Administration has agreed to set up apennanent facility In each School office for students to requlsltJon books for the library throughout the year. .

As a result of the JNUSU's struggles, the University Computer Centre has been expanded, as the number of computers mcreased from 6to 24 20 more computers have been promised for this Centre and the Administration has also committed to the provision of 50 new computers for the SLL&CS Language labs. .

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MAHI-MANDAVI MESS Due to the UGC's ban on the recruitment of non-teaching staff, the Mahi-Mandavi Mess is being run by private contractors. The policies pursued by the HRD Ministry are directly responsible for this, a fact which the ABVP or the other organisations in the opposition are deliberately underplaying in order to put the blame on the outgoing JNUSU SFI-AISF IS completely opposed to the arrangement of private mess facility and demands the provis1on ofregular mess staff in these hostels. As a transparent and accountable interim arrangement, the last Union put forward the proposal of running these messes by co-operative societies. The Mahi-Mandavi GBM has endorsed this proposal and a working committee headed by the Dean of Students has been constituted to take the initiative in forming these co-operatives. .

DISCONTINUATION OF SHORT-TERM COURSES lN SIT As a result of the struggles conducted on the issue of commercialisabon the Administration has been forced to discontinue short-term commercial courses in SIT and the academic council has resolved thatsuch courses will not be offered in the future in SIT. .

SCHOLARSHIP AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE As a result of repeated struggles by the JNUSU the Administration has already started making efforts for the provision of post-matric scholarship for SC/ST students. 8 new scholarships of Rs.1,000/-per month for SCIST sb.Jdents have been revived. The financial assistance to 16 students employed on a part-time basis in the Library h.as been .

increased from Rs.600 p_m. to Rs.900 p.m. After the last agitation the Administration has agreed to the continuation and enhancement of the thesis and field trip grants .

SC/ST QUOTA AND COACHING CLASSES This year a record num~er of 714 students participated in the free coaching classes for JNU entrance run by the .

JNUSU for students from deprived sections. As a resuH of the continued efforts of the JNUSU the SC/ST quota was fulfilled and 23 27% SC/ST students JOined this year .

TRANSPORT FACILITIES Togetherwith the rest ofDelhi, the transport facilities in JNU have deteriorated severely because of the bungling by the Deihl and the Central Governments over the CNG conversion process. Despite this, as a result or the Union's persistent efforts the serv1ces of route no.666 were regulansed, route 507 and 621 extended to JNU and a computerised bus-pass facility setup after repeated representations by the Students' Umon. After the last agitation the Administration has committed to expedite the conversion of the umversity bus to CNG mode. .

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AGENDA FOR 2002-03 .

Carrying foJWard this legacy of struggles the SFI-AJSF would like to take up the following issues in the coming year: .

FINANCIAL & ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE FOR STUDENTS FROM DEPRIVED SECTIONS lnstitul!onal mechanisms are requ1red to ensure that the stud1es of students from sooally, regionally and economically deprived sections is not hampered due to lack of financial support and they can fulfil their academic potential. Our concrete demands are: .

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Post-matric scholarships should be provided to all SC/ST students. .

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The newly revived university-level placement cell should have provision for providing part-time and full time employment to students from these sections. The Project Cell should also have mandatory provisions for ensuring adequate representation to these students during recruitment for projects. .

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The UGC's grantfor remedial dasses should be used to regularise them, with non-JRFresearch scholars being employed on a part-time basis to teach these courses. .

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Proper audio-visual infrastructure and professional staffshould be provided for English remedial dasses. .

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The powers of the Equal Opportunity Office should be extended to oversee this entire mechanism and its scope must be extended to indude educationally backward, religious and linguistic minorilies. .

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FACULTY RECRUITMENT The delay by the HRD Ministry in appointing a VISitor's nominee is holding up the process of faculty recruitment in JNU leading to a serious farulty shortage in many Schools/ Centres llke CIL. CPS and SC&SS.The SF~SFdemands that the process of faculty recruitment be restarted immediately. .

LIBRARY AND INTERNET FACILITIES We demand immediate implementation of the Administration's commitments regarding acqu:st.Dn O:boo''\'5 based on students' requisitions and upgraoaoon ofc:arl10l.~ internet facilities. Further, library mfrastrud'Jre pafui.arly the general reading room (Dholpur House) s'lo..'d be renovated. The timings of the un1vers ty-levet ar-j scnool computer centres must be extended and there s,t.~·J be pn:>vision for regular maintenance of these ce"tres .

RATIFICATION OF THE RULES & .

PROCEDURESOFGSCASH The GSCASH has earned the a~pta"~ ('! t ~ -~...: commumty as a uruque democracca rons~t\..N~~ creating a gender sens1twe campus h~e c' S()\ a harassment. We demand the 1mmedoate rat~t!l: ~ rules and procedures ofGSCASH by the E\tn.tve C of the university, .

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