People's Democracy

JNUSU ELECTION MANDATE 2005

Albeena Shakil

THE mandate of the recently concluded JNUSU elections was a fractured one. While the Left, secular and democratic alliance of the SFI-AISF emerged with a clear majority of 19 in the 34-member JNUSU Council, winning the posts of Vice-President, General Secretary and Joint Secretary, the post of the JNUSU President was won by the AISA. The SFI-AISF improved their overall tally in the Council by winning five Councillors in the School of Social Sciences, four in the School of Languages, Literature and Culture Studies, three in the School of International Studies, two in the School of Life Sciences, one in the School of Arts and Aesthetics and one in the Bio-Informatics Center. The AISA won only one Councillor in the School of Languages, Literature and Culture Studies and failed to retain its two Councillors in SSS and one Councillor in SIS in comparison to last year.

The ABVP faced a complete rout in all the major schools but again managed to retain its majority in the Science Schools by winning three Councillors in the School of Environmental Sciences, three in the School of Computers and Systems Sciences and one Councillor each in the School of Life Sciences, the Special Center for Sanskrit Studies and the Special Center for Law and Governance. The NSUI won two Councillors in the School of International Studies. Independent candidates won a post each in the School of Physical Sciences and the Center for Biotechnology. Thus, the overall tally of Office Bearers and Councillors in the JNUSU Council stands at:

As is evident from the respective strengths of different organizations in the JNUSU Council, the reasons behind this mandate can be understood only if the details of various factors that impacted upon this year’s JNUSU elections are kept in mind.

The JNU student body as, since the inception of the university been, very aware and sensitive to political developments in the national arena, and aware that it is important to be so. This year’s JNUSU elections were held in the context of over one and a half years of UPA rule at the center. The role of the Left in defending the interests of the people against the neo-liberal onslaught and asserting the need to defend the sovereignty of our country in all spheres of decision-making, especially vis-à-vis aggressive US imperialism, received general support and appreciation from the student community. Both the ABVP and the NSUI were unable to garner any significant support for their criticism of the Left on different issues. The AISA, which thrives upon anti-Left rhetoric, was also unable to offer any credible critique of the role played by the CPI(M) and the CPI.           

One of the most significant political developments that took place during the last one year was the vertical split of the ABVP into two different student organizations run by the RSS, namely, the ABVP and the JNU Patriotic Front (JPF). The JPF made its presence felt negatively on campus by repeatedly indulging in various acts of violence. Consequently one of the major tasks of the last JNUSU was to repeatedly demand punishment against different acts of violence perpetrated by the history-sheeters of JPF. These efforts were principally pioneered by the SFI-AISF representatives in the union, resulting in out-of-bounds order for two ex-students belonging to the JPF, and reconstitution of the Harjeet Singh Committee to enquire into pending cases of violence. In the run up to the JNUSU elections, efforts were made by the RSS to unite the ABVP and the JPF. This temporary unity resulted in the victories of ABVP/JPF candidates in a large number of hostel elections. However, ultimately the ABVP and the JPF contested the elections separately with the ABVP fielding candidates in all posts except councillors in SLL & CS, and the JPF fielding candidates for the post of Joint Secretary and five councillors in SLL & CS.

MAJOR FACTOR

In this political context, the main campaign line of the SFI-AISF was a two-fold one. One was to highlight the contrast existing between the intensifying struggles of the people of our country in different walks of life, and the complete absence of struggles on any major student issue by the AISA-led JNUSU over the last one year. In fact, even the gains made by the previous SFI-AISF-led union after a prolonged agitation regarding for elected student representation in the Academic Council and Board of Studies, formation of the Grievance Redressal Committee against student victimization, formation of a Science School Committee for upgradation of syllabi and infrastructure in the Science Schools etc were not pursued seriously. The AISA-led union did not even pursue the mandate of the Union General Body Meeting to replace the Nestle outlet with a 24x7 dhaba and ensure formation of a policy framework against corporatization in JNU.

By contrast, the SFI-AISF in the leadership in different schools, could ensure that major gains were made on all the demands raised in the Demand Charter of different schools, for instance: ensuring the formation of a Centre for North East Studies in SSS, more computers-with-internet facility in SIS and SSS, Single-Window registration facility for optional courses in SLL & CS, center-wise libraries in centers in SIS, fighting against Ford Funding and ensuring upgradation of infrastructural facilities in SAA, ensuring initiation of construction of an Annex Building in SLL & CS in view of the acute classroom shortage. A concrete outcome of all these school-level efforts and struggles, was the increased mandate received by the SFI-AISF in different schools for the post of Councillors.

CONTINUE VIGILANCE

The other equally important line of campaign emphasized by the SFI-AISF was the continued need to maintain vigilance against communalism in JNU. The the timeliness and importance of emphasizing vigilance on this issue was by the fact that underlined during the elections the different organisations either did not take any explicit position against the JPF, or deliberately underestimated their strength in the campus, while the JPF maintained its political attack on all organisations except the AISA, black giving in fact tacit support to the AISA, as a means. They hoped, of defeating the SFI-AISF. But beyond this they were encouraged on this support by the kind of dubious positions adopted by the AISA in the course of the last one year on the issue of communalism. For instance, the AISA did not take any position on the Sararswati Puja held within the School premises breaking all secular norms of the university. They gave up the demand for reconstitution of the Harjeet Singh Committee to enquire into pending cases of violence by JPF activists’ inspite of repeated acts of violence by the same elements. The JNUSU President from the AISA did not make any protest when the JNU Administration refused to grant admission to students coming from a Madarsa background and it was left to the SFI-AISF office bearers to ensure that this communal move was reversed. Nor did the AISA condemn the violence during a friendly Volley Ball match with the AMU team. AISA was also involved in repeated controversies related to casteism even when one of their leading activists abused their own dalit activists, who consequently resigned from their organisation, or when their leaders were involved in an unsavory incident with a dalit faculty member.

However, apart from, trying to expose the shortcomings of the AISA on different student issues and their deliberate efforts to garner the support of the JPF, the main focus of campaign of the SFI-AISF was upon the positive issues for the forthcoming year:

1. Ensure fulfillment of commitments made by the administration during the previous SFI-AISF led union regarding elected student representation in the AC and BoS, formation of Grievance Redressal Committee and Science School Committee.

2. Struggles for ensuring financial assistance to all needy students especially in view of the increasing dropout rates of students due to financial constraints.

3. Restoration of the old rules and procedures of the General Sensitization Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) and their ratification by the EC. Rejection of the new rules and procedures of the GSCASH which were undemocratically passed by the EC in order to scuttle the independence of the GSCASH.

4. Democratisation of the Equal Opportunity Office (EOO) which deals with academic and other problems including caste abuse and violence faced by dalit students of JNU. More powers to the EOO to award punishment to perpetrators of caste abuse.

5. More computers with Internet facility: Extension of the timing of central computer facility, extension of computer facility to all hostels and computerization of all administrative departments of JNU in order to ensure a smooth registration process for students.

6. Increased hours and other facilities for the library.

7. One more wing of the hostel for girl students in JNU, etc.

THE SHORTCOMINGS

Two shortcomings of the SFI-AISF stood out in these elections. One was the delay and tentativeness involved in finalizing our candidates for the JNUSU elections. Over the last three years our process of deciding candidates for the JNUSU elections has been hampered by the fact our most suitable candidates being unable to contest elections due to various reasons. The other is the unsatisfactory level of activism of some of our leading elected representatives in the Union. Our own elected office bearers barring the Joint secretary lacked taking consistent initiatives in the JNUSU last year and were unable to clearly outperform even comparatively inactive office bearer from the AISA. Organisational weaknesses in certain schools in rectifying long-standing shortcomings also had an impact on the election results. Certain outside issues like the question of reservation in AMU also became contentious issues for us.

The following Table shows the patterns of voting:

These results would indicate that the student community largely endorses our politics and perspective, but there has been a drop in our vote share, which reflects the critical mandate that the students of JNU have given to the SFI-AISF platform. The fact that we could largely expose the opportunistic compromises of the AISA with the JPF impacted adversely on their tally in the JNUSU Council. However, a realignment of forces is also taking place within the student community in the light of the growing weakness of the ABVP. There is a need to ensure that continued vigilance against all activities of the ABVP-JPF in the coming year so that they do not regain any ground in JNU student politics. A notable political development involved in these elections was that two other Left platforms contested elections for office bearers and some councillors, namely, FDR which was a combination of Naga Studies Forum, Student for Campus Development, Student Solidarity and DSU, and the Left organization of the PSU, which contested for councilor in SSS. The most significant part of the election results this time was the relegation of the ABVP to the third place in different posts. The NSUI improved its tally in the Council but vigilance needs to be maintained against its degenerate politics.

The clear task before the SFI-AISF is to maintain the continued unity of the Left alliance of the SFI and the AISF which contested elections together for the record 9th successive year, and the increased activism of our elected representatives on all issues of students’ interests.