theprocess photos on Flickr

fuggle against gave a call to the ~ns in a.n UGBM 1 united, credible, ijGBM held on 3 tte for conducting pcation.:s from the principle b} rhe ~case is clisposed ga'-'-e the mandate .

for the JNUSU whiCh will be elected to carry forward the ongoing struggle against Lyngdoh. In the days to come. when JNUSU c.omes to office,it is necessary that the entire student comrnuruty come together to ensure dutJNUSU remains a powerful platfo~~ o_f s~le against the e~tire gamut of anti-student polictes, mcluding Lyogdoh. This is the challenge before the JNU sn1dcnt community, and we arc sure thar JNU will live up to this challenge in the days to come. .

It is important to recognize that the struggle to defend the JNUSU constitution however does not begin and end with a legal battle in the courts to lift the stay on the JNUSU elections, or to get some relaxations from the Lyngdoh recommendations. Rather it is a battle of contending perspectives about studentpolitics and the studentmovement Io other words, d1c struggle is equally a political struggle. .

From the outset, AISA was the only national student organization which rook a position against the Lyngdoh Committee Recommendations. Following the stay on JNUSU elections, AISA prayed a pivotal role in the functioning of the Joint Struggle Committee of JNU students whether with regard to mobilizing public opinion, organizing protests or collecting funds. Outside the campus as well, AISA undertook severalinitiatives to focus attention on the Lyngdoh Report and its stifling impact on campus democracy. On 21st and 22nc1 November 2008, a 48 hour long hunger strike was observed against these recommendations. From 41h-1 ph Feruuary 2009, a » Tried to rent out the ccologicaUy f.ragtle PSR rocks ro advertisement agencies Installed eleroicity meters in Koyna hostel and tned ro extract user charges for electncity from students. .

~ Allowed a !\hruti frandusee to advertise and sell cars .

» right inside the Academic Complex. Came up with a plan to set up a masSl'VC 'Food Court' ,vl,th 10 canteens nea-r theJNU library that was not·only absurd and unnecessary, bur would also have e.nrailetl massive deforestation. .

~ Tried to open a Cafe Coffee Dar outlet in the SLS building,without any priorpermission from the Campus Development Committee. .

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At each junctme, AISA spearheaded timely protests, resisted and successfully stalled each of these m oves which symbolized commercialization on one hand and massive financial corruption by the JNU ad.m.i.nistration on the othCL .

InSeptember 2009, whe.n the Ministty of Human Resources and Development (MHR.D) came up w-ith a circulax calling for an 'austerity drive', directingall central universities to hike fees, extract user charges and commercialize campus spttces and facilities, the AISA-led JNUSU once again led a mass:iYc movement to ensure that this proposal was never implemented i.n JNU. AISA has consistently stood against the politics of corporatization and commercialization. arguing that students from all backgrounds should be able to enret JNU and shops and spaces in the campus should be allotted to socially deserving sections rather than corporate interests. .

A Students' Referendum on the VC: .

A First-Of-Its Kind Effort .

In April2010, when our former VC Pro( B.B. Bhattacharya was desperately seeking a second term, AIS..\ .irutiated the move of holding a students, referendum o n the 2ad term of the VC. All the organizations agreed fo.r the mO\·e and a huge referendum on the 2n..1 term of the VC was held on 20th April B.B. Bhattacharya, who became nororious for his undemocratic, corrupt and caste.ist practices and "-ie\\rs \1.'35 given a resounding NO for his second term. Indeed it \\'aS a historic event and first of its kind in the history of students movement anywhere, when studenrs, through secret ballot, in a formally conducted election process. exercised their right to give opinion about those who run their institution' .

Other Organizations .

\X'he.re AISA has sought to articul:ue .

and figbr: for a radical pro-student, pro-.

peoplevision of politics on this campus, .

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making of Day 17 by Jesse Querry