New Delhi: Amid a flurry of pink flags and hanging of drums, Dhananjay raised a fist within the air and shouted: “Jai Bhim, Lal Salam”. He was joined by a whole lot of scholars, their faces smeared with the color pink, echoing his cry because the College Election Committee declared the United Left Alliance victorious within the Jawaharlal Nehru College College students’ Union (JNUSU) elections.
“This win is for these farmers who’re combating for his or her MSP (minimal help value). This win is for Rohith Vemula. This win is a transparent reply that regardless of their (ABVP and BJP) efforts to discourage us, we have now continued,” stated Dhananjay of the All India College students Affiliation (AISA), his face smeared in gulal.
The United Left Alliance registered a thumping win within the JNUSU election, successful three of the 4 seats and defeating its nearest rival, the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on the intervening evening of Saturday and Sunday. In the meantime Birsa Ambedkar Phule College students Affiliation (BAPSA) received one seat with the help of the United Left.
Dhananjay obtained the JNUSU President publish, securing 2,598 votes in opposition to ABVP’s presidential candidate Umesh C. Ajmeera, who secured 1,676 votes. For the publish of vice-president, Avijit Ghosh from the College students Federation of India (SFI) defeated ABVP’s Deepika Sharma.
Dhananjay belongs to Gaya in Bihar and, in keeping with the Left Alliance, is JNUSU’s second Dalit president after 27 years.
BAPSA candidate Priyanshi Arya received the publish of common secretary after defeating ABVP’s Arjun Anand with the help of the Left alliance. Arya was supported by the United Left after the nomination of their candidate Swati Singh was cancelled on the day of voting. Singh sat on a starvation strike and known as the cancellation an “try and deter (her) from standing within the polls”. As well as, Mohammad Sajid from the United Left’s All India College students’ Federation (AISF) received the publish of joint secretary.
The elections, which befell after a hiatus of 4 years, began as an intense battle between ABVP and the United Left Alliance — consisting of AISA, SFI, AISF and Democratic College students Federation (DSF) — and later become a clear sweep for the latter.
Forward of the coed elections, the Central college witnessed modified political methods with ABVP launching a tribal presidential candidate for the primary time and utilizing the mugshot of Ambedkar of their pamphlets.
Because the victory of the United Left was introduced, a whole lot of scholars broke into slogans, danced and greeted one another. The winners — Dhananjay, Avijit, Mohd Sajid and Arya — obtained collectively for a press convention the place they attacked the ABVP for allegedly “indulging in violence”.
“Our win is a solution to that,” stated Dhananjay to cheers and whistles from college students.
He additionally blamed the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) for maligning JNU and its college students. “They (BJP) unfold propaganda, they are saying that JNU college students needs to be shot. You’re making such movies in order that the voice of the suppressed and oppressed doesn’t exit from these (JNU) gates. That’s why you’re circulating propaganda,” he stated. “The Left Alliance’s victory is a solution from all college students and youths throughout the nation forward of the 2024 elections.”
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‘JNU administration killing youths’ goals’
Dhananjay additionally spoke about how college students needed to wrestle to make sure that elections happen. “There have been 4 folks on this United Left panel, however considered one of our comrade Swati’s nominations was cancelled. We’ll combat for it,” he stated.
Speaking in regards to the fund cuts, he stated that the JNU administration was killing the goals of the youth by lowering the seats.
“You (administration) did a fund reduce, you’ve gotten diminished the excess seats. You will have reduce 80 % of the funds within the library. Library is the soul of a college. The youth of this nation dream of learning in JNU, however by doing seat cuts, you’re killing their goals. We’ll be sure that their goals should not killed.”
Underlining the current induction of professors, the brand new JNUSU president stated, “It appears that evidently the one standards of hiring professors is that they should be incompetent and a member of the RSS.”
He additionally spoke about incidents of sexual harassment and homophobic phrases getting used on campus and stated that he’ll be sure that such instances don’t go unheard.
Taking a swipe on the BJP authorities over the violence in Manipur, Dhananjay stated, “We’re seeing how the weak are being oppressed world wide and the way this shameless authorities isn’t even speaking to them. This (JNUSU win) is a mandate for the 2024 elections that the folks of the nation are going to dethrone you (BJP).”
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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