‘Left weakening…needs 10-12 groups to win’ says JNU VC Santishree D Pandit

With the emergence of rival governmental outfits, the Left successful the Jawaharlal Nehru University has weakened and is forced to articulation hands since it struggles to triumph elections independently, varsity Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit said.

Pandit, a erstwhile JNU student, said she utilized to contention against the Left arsenic portion of the Free Thinkers radical – a "neutral" students' assemblage not affiliated to immoderate governmental party.

In an interrogation with PTI editors astatine the agency's headquarters, Pandit said astir 1,500 NOTA votes were formed successful the precocious held JNU Students Union elections, an enactment that shows students are funny successful neither the Left nor the Right.

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Pandit, who did her MPhil and past PhD successful International Politics from JNU, said with clip much governmental outfits similar the RSS-affiliated ABVP and Congress-backed NSUI, arsenic good arsenic RJD, person made their beingness connected campus, which erstwhile utilized to beryllium solely dominated by the Left outfits.

The United Left sheet comprising the All India Students Association (AISA), Democratic Students' Federation (DSF), Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students' Federation (AISF) successful March swept successful the JNUSU predetermination jointly with BAPSA for the archetypal clip successful history, defeating its nearest rival the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.

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The Left had fought the elections unneurotic and had to enactment the BAPSA campaigner astatine the past infinitesimal to forestall the ABVP from coming to power.

"There is simply a weakening of the Left connected campus. Earlier SFI, AISF stood independently. They didn't request immoderate confederation to triumph elections. They could decision immoderate grouping. I was a Free Thinker astatine that time. We didn't person some ABVP and NSUI connected campus.

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"Now their presence, including RJD's, has travel up and the Left needs to person unity of 10-12 groups to win," Pandit said.

"The wide caput successful the JNUSU was not a Left candidate. She was from BAPSA. The near supported her to halt ABVP from coming successful power. She doesn't perceive to them, she says they supported maine retired of their ain interest. This shows determination is weakening of the Left connected campus," she said.

Pandit besides said that the fig of students represented from antithetic states successful JNU has importantly changed and those coming from the South person considerably gone down.

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"Although the fig of students has gone up, we were lone 3,000 astatine that time, present we are 10,000. Earlier each states were amended represented. Now the highest comes from Bihar, followed by Odisha and UP. Students from Rajasthan and Haryana person besides increased. However, the fig of students from the South has gone down considerably," she said.

Asked if it is hard being nonsubjective successful the Left-dominated field fixed her RSS affiliation, Pandit said she has amended leftist credentials than those connected campus.

"I deliberation everybody tin person idiosyncratic leanings and we tin hold to disagree. That's the quality of India. Also that mode if you spot I was calved successful Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). I deliberation I person a amended DNA than the left. My deity parents were CPI stalwarts …," she said.

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Asked if she is liked and accepted arsenic a "Sanghi VC" successful the Left bastion, Pandit claimed "Yes, due to the fact that they deliberation radical similar maine tin besides beryllium determination successful the Sangh who person a broader, much flexible and inclusive view."

She added, "I deliberation the Left likes you erstwhile you are honest. I person ne'er hidden my affiliation with the RSS. I americium a arrogant Sanghi VC who brought the highest QS rankings to JNU."

Pandit denied determination has been immoderate diminution successful the antiauthoritarian civilization of the assemblage since she took over.

"I don't hold that there's a diminution successful state connected campus. If that was truthful I wouldn't person conducted elections. We adjacent held teachers' national elections. I deliberation the ecosystem (Left dominance) that was determination earlier is being contested by different arrangements (presence of caller governmental outfits) connected field now," she said.

Responding to wherefore the varsity thought imposing stringent measures to curb protests connected field was required, Pandit said the determination was aimed astatine maintaining discipline.

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"When you are studying connected the taxpayers' money, the taxpayers are going to question what benignant of products I americium bringing out. So students person to beryllium captious but factually critical. You tin conscionable marque and bring down anybody. We person acceptable the areas of discipline. They tin inactive protestation connected the Sabarmati lawns," she said.

Recalling her pupil days, Pandit said, "During my play the apical Left leaders were nationalists. We are conscionable telling students to beryllium responsible. You can't accidental thing and everything. JNU creates 2 illusions – that everything is escaped and speech immoderate you privation and determination is nary effect -- some of which bash not beryllium extracurricular the gross of JNU."

Pandit, who came to JNU for the archetypal clip with "two plaits and a ribbon" said the field was thing similar she had seen before. "It was an oculus opener for maine conscionable similar galore others who haven't seen municipality spaces successful their life. The authorities should money much universities similar JNU astatine authorities level."

The Left outfits person been astatine the helm of affairs successful JNU astir close from 1969 erstwhile the field was established.

The ABVP, presently the azygous largest absorption students' assemblage connected campus, had for a agelong clip a negligible presence, barring a fewer electoral wins.

Its prima roseate successful 2015, erstwhile ABVP bagged a spot successful the cardinal sheet of JNUSU, a twelvemonth aft the Modi authorities came to power.

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Published: 20 Apr 2024, 06:36 PM IST