HYDERABAD CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

Clean Sweep For SFI In Students’ Union Polls

 Masum Ali

IN a historic victory ever achieved in the students’ union polls, the Leftist students organisation UDF (University Discussion Forum) --- affiliated to the Students Federation of India (SFI) --- made a clean sweep by bagging all the six posts of the central panel in the recently concluded students’ union election in Hyderabad Central University (HCU). The poll held on September 9.

This outstanding performance assumes more importance and relevance in terms of the strengthening SFI presence in the campus for the two main reasons: a) It is for the third consecutive time that the UDF has won the students’ union election, b) This year’s election, unlike that in earlier years, experienced a triangular contest where the UDF fought against the communal forces (ABVP) on the one hand and, on the other, a group of sectarian and opportunistic forces who had joined hands in the name of United Democratic Alliance (UDA). However, with its solid base among all sections of the student community, cutting across various departments and schools, the UDF was able to secure a thumping majority for all its candidates for the central panel.

The extraordinary mandate for the SFI bears its foundation not only in the complete rejection of communal forces like ABVP and sectarian politics of UDA, but equally towards the incredible performances of the UDF led students’ union which has been relentlessly working for a wholesome development of the student community --- both academic and otherwise. This mandate is in fact a testimony to the trust and faith that the entire campus community has reposed once again through their experiences of vibrant and functional students’ union that had brought a sea change among the lives of campus students with its never ceasing efforts for students’ welfare and by strengthening the democratic and secular environment in the campus.     

Though the term of the last union was almost half of a full academic year (February 2004 to August 2004), it could achieve an incredible feat within such a short span of time. Some of the important achievements of the union were the following:

1. Retaining the same fee structure for various courses for the current academic year, which had been increasing every year by 10 per cent since 1997. 

2. Retaining the last year’s rates of application forms, prospectus and registration fee for the university entrance examinations.

3. Registration fee for M Tech Courses reduced from Rs 2100 to Rs 1300.

4. Fee structure of M Tech (IT) also reduced from Rs 18110 to Rs 8460.  

5. Removing the irregularities and streamlining the prices of several goods and services at various shops and stalls in the campus.

6. Restarting the Earn While Learn scheme for research scholars.

7. Computer centre orientation programme to help introduce the freshers to the basics of computer usage.

8. Acquisition of new books and materials for CSIR, UPSC, GRE and GMAT preparation. A new stack area that will enlarge the reading hall. The union has played a proactive role in establishing the universal digital library where, in collaboration with 24 foreign universities materials, will be shortly available.

9. Multimedia lab at the artificial intelligence complex is now open for 24 hours.

10. An evening health clinic has been opened for the benefit of students and many proposals have been submitted to make the facilities available in the health centre better.

11. Sports facilities are made available on Sundays also.

12. Simplification of the process of the issue of no-dues certificate at the end of the semester.

13. Printout tariff in computer centre has been reduced.

14.  Allocation of 50 per cent of 10 days minimum mess charges within the monthly mess basics.

 These apart, the union has been very active in conducting various seminars, debates and discussions at various fronts --- politics, science, technology --- on a regular basis. Apart from the 4 day annual students’ youth festival SUKOON 2004, the students’ union has encouraged various cultural and sports activities during its tenure. Further, in an unfortunate incident related to the desecration of a couple of posters of Dr B R Ambedkar, the union took up the case very seriously and saw to it that the culprits were duly punished. In another incident, when four north-east students were awarded punishment in the form of denial of admissions to successive courses because of their involvements in a minor skirmish, the students’ union, along with student organisations, went on for an agitation defending the students’ rights. This ended on a positive note and the administration was compelled to withdraw such harsh punishments; subsequently the concerned students were taken back to their respective courses. 

This year’s election was a real test for the UDF as an organization, as it was for the first time that it was fighting on its own for all the posts and seeking a mandate on its past record and that of students’ union. It is to be noted that while both the students’ union and UDF were busy all the year around in addressing various issues of students coming from various sections of society and conducting a series of programmes and activities, the ABVP and the opportunistic and sectarian forces kept themselves tight-lipped, apart from conducting a couple of seminars which suited their agenda of divisive politics and hate campaign. It was only during the election time that both these groups came to the forefront and started making allegations against the students’ union and UDF with lame excuses. After the successful completion of the annual general body meeting, both these groups became utterly frustrated after realising the students’ mood which was in favour of UDF. Subsequently they started a maligning campaign against the UDF leaders with all the possible mean tactics. However, the democratic, sensible and progressive students of the HCU stood by the UDF and reposed faith in it once again, which resulted in a hands down victory for the UDF in all the six posts of the students’ union.

In this triangular contest, S Naresh defeated his nearest rival D Brahma Reddy of ABVP by a margin of 321 votes, a record in a triangular contest, to bag the presidential post for UDF. Masum Ali, who was contesting again for the post of general secretary, inflicted a crushing defeat on his nearest rival of ABVP with an all time record margin (in a triangular contest) of 428 votes. Pravesh Kumar bagged the vice president’s post by defeating the UDA candidate by a margin of 400 votes. Gadda Kumaraswamy, Syed Mustafa and Sukka Sunder, all on the UDF panel, emerged victorious by defeating their opponents by comprehensive margins to bag the posts of joint secretary, sports secretary and cultural secretary respectively.

With this impressive victory and all round support of the majority of HCU students, it is imperative for the UDF led students’ union to keep its promises in the days to come. One of the major tasks before the union is to retain the democratic and secular environment on the campus. Its larger role to foster gender sensitivity in the campus is equally important. These apart, some of the issues the union has resolved to take up are the following:

1. To persuade the administration to allocate scholarships for all research scholars under the newly proposed increased funding for the universities from UGC.

2. To appoint a permanent placement officer for improved in-campus placements of students from various schools.

3. To implement the proposal to raise the upper-income ceiling for awarding merit-cum-means scholarships.

4. To strive to acquire the differential amount towards mess charges of all scholarship holders (SC/ST/BC) from the university fund.

5. To introduce M Phil course in Sarojini Naidu School of Performing Arts.

6. Acquisition of more textbooks and journals of various subjects in the library.

7. Construction of one more research scholars’ hostel.

8. Ensuring speedy implementation of the proposal to provide Internet connectivity to all the hostels.

9. To bring down the cut-off grade point from 7.2 to 6.5 as the minimum qualification for awarding the M Tech stipends.

10. To provide research scholars desk to all the research scholars of various departments and schools.

11. To start a North Indian mess for the girls at ladies’ hostels complex.

12. To retain the existing fee structure for admissions in various courses of study in the next academic year.

13. Construction of a bigger hall, with proper infrastructure and ventilation, for gymnasium at the New Sports Complex and increase in the timing for the same till 8 pm everyday.

Thus there is no room for complacency for the organisation. Both the UDF and the students’ union have to play a complementary and leading role in raising the political consciousness of the entire campus community. The union has to struggle for more democratic space in every major decision-making body of the university, including the executive council. With the rising inflation, it is high time the amount of social welfare scholarships for the SC, ST and BC students is suitably increased. The union, in association with the university authorities, has to take up the issue with the government of Andhra Pradesh.

At the same time, the role of the Left students’ organisations in the broader framework of the society has to be brought to the forefront. Apart from imparting proper political consciousness to all sections of the student community, the UDF is determined to play its greater role in its consistent struggle to demand and create awareness about the relevance of increased state funding in higher education, to free education from all communal distortions, for immediate lift of the ban on government recruitments and to oppose the ongoing commercialisation of education.

The UDF believes that it is only by an intensification and expansion of the day-to-day democratic struggles for the realisation of demands and rights of the student masses that we can effectively prevent the communal force like ABVP and other sectarian forces from finding any space and consequently isolate them in the campus. 

(Masum Ali is general secretary of the UDF in Hyderabad Central University.)

HCUSU Election Result At A Glance