People's Democracy

HIMACHAL UNIVERSITY

Students Again Repose Faith in SFI

THE Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has congratulated the students of Himachal Pradesh and the state unit of the SFI for registering an impressive victory in the SCA elections. The elections were held on August 23.

It is notable that out of the 300 panel posts throughout the state, SFI candidates were victorious in 102. Thus these elections have once again confirmed that the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) continues to be a bastion of the SFI. Out of the 49 Department Representative (DR) positions, SFI candidates won in 46. On the other hand, the pro-BJP ABVP, the nearest contender, had to remain content with only two posts and the pro-Congress NSUI won just one.

As for the four central posts, the SFI’s panel registered its highest ever victory in the history of the Students Central Association (SCA) elections in HPU. Rahul Chauhan won the president’s post by a margin of 713 votes. The post of the vice president went to Priyanka Chauhan who won by a margin of 570 votes. Vikram Kayet and Amit Kumar won the posts of general secretary and joint secretary respectively. Their margins of victory were 696 and 751.

The SFI’s panel won completely in 18 colleges. Out of the four central panel posts in every college, the SFI won three in eight colleges. In Shimla district, the SFI won 35 panel posts out of the total 48. The SFI swept the elections in the colleges of Shimla town. Its candidates won all the 16 panel posts in four colleges (Kotshira Government College, Rajakiya Kanya Mahavidyalay, Sanjoli College and Shimla Evening College) of Shimla town.

The victory is especially significant because the BJP government of the state has been, with the aid of the state administration and the college and university authorities, constantly hatching conspiracies against the SFI. Particularly in the HPU campus, the vice chancellor, Professor A D N Bajpayee, has been misusing all his powers to get the SFI defeated and to create a favourable ground for the ABVP. A blue-eyed boy of the RSS, Professor Bajpayee once openly urged students to support the ABVP candidates. Besides regularly participating in programmes of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, recently he went to the extent of inaugurating the office of the VHP in Shimla. He was unable to digest the huge victory of the SFI last year also and delayed the oath taking ceremony of the elected SCA by seven months. False cases against SFI activists were filed and six SFI activists --- including the elected president, general secretary and vice president --- were put behind bars for 29 days.

The victory of the SFI in HPU and in the colleges of Himachal Pradesh has been a source of tremendous inspiration for the SFI rank and file throughout the country and the SFI CEC has expressed the hope that this year’s victory too would strengthen the nationwide struggle for campus democracy. It is to be noted that only a few days ago, the SFI performed quite well in the college and university union elections of Rajasthan also. Through its statement issued on August 24, the CEC of SFI expressed gratitude to the student community of Himachal Pradesh and jubilation over its valiant comrades’ emphatic win against all odds.