New Delhi: A united Left on Sunday won against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Students' Union elections, grabbing all four central seats that went to elections -- president, vice president, general secretary and joint secretary. Dhananjay, a PhD student from Bihar, was elected as the president of JNUSU, as he defeated Umesh Chandra Ajmeera of the ABVP.
A PhD student from the School of Arts and Aesthetics at JNU, Dhananjay contested the elections from the All India Students' Association (AISA) and polled 2,598 votes against Ajmeera's 1,676 votes. In an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat, Dhananjay said the JNU student union election was not just about the university but also concerned the issues in the country.
"Today, there is an attempt to divide the country on communal lines. JNU will always stand to save the country and the Constitution," Dhananjay said.
Here are the excerpts from the interview
ETB: On which issues did you seek votes?
Dhananjay: I sought votes on how education can be completed in an affordable manner and how the hostel facility can be given to all students. JNU is repeatedly attacked at the policy level, due to which fund cuts happen continuously. The number of seats is also decreasing. The number of women was over 50 per cent earlier. But today the number is around 35 percent. Earlier, students from every state used to come to JNU to study, but this number is also decreasing.
An attack on propaganda level is going on in JNU and films are being made about it. This is a threat to JNU students. These films are such in which it is being said that JNU students should be shot. Should the students be shot because they talk about better education? We want that the one-tenth part of the Budget should be spent on education. We want all citizens to get quality education. Not only that, we want another educational institution like JNU to be established with better faculty. Today, professors are being appointed who believe only in a particular ideology. In this case, what will be the effect on the students? We also sought votes from the students regarding the problems related to the infrastructure of the campus.
ETB: What are the issues you would like to work on priority?
Dhananjay: No work is done to improve the infrastructure in this campus unless there is any accident or mishap. Students who come to do research get only Rs 8000 a month. Increasing the research fellowship amount should be done on priority as research cannot be done with such a paltry sum. We will also raise voice against sexual harassment and ensure that casteism and discrimination among people is eradicated.
ETB: What are the reasons for ABVP's defeat?
Dhananjay: The biggest reason for ABVP's defeat is that it does not stand with JNU students, but with the administration. ABVP is a slave to the administration. The government of the country is constantly pursuing policies against students. There is a 60 per cent cut in the budget of the University Grants Commission (UCG) but the government is silent. The infrastructure of JNU is falling. There are issues in JNU but the ABVP keeps supporting the administration. Attempts are being made to defame this campus. ABVP screened films in the campus in which calls were made to shoot the university students. Students will not accept this. These people (ABVP) want to divide students on the basis of caste and religion even inside the campus.
ETB: JNU's image is taking a hit as there are allegations of anti-national activities. How will you improve it?
Dhananjay: I want to tell the people of the country that JNU is giving a model of how the poor students are given good education with less money. If a student from any state of the country is now in JNU, he does not think about his accommodation as JNU takes care of it. Our responsibility is that if the farmer is fighting in this country, if there is a policy against farmers then JNU will stand with them. The central government, which remained silent when women were paraded naked in Manipur, speaks against JNU. The way they (the Centre) are trying to divide the country on the basis of sects, JNU stands against it. JNU stands in favour of the Constitution. It stands in favour of all the underprivileged, those who dream of better education, those who dream of better jobs.
ETB: Lok Sabha elections are just weeks away. Many people do not vote on issues, but on faces? What will you advise them?
Dhananjay: Today, there is a great need to save the Constitution. We see that the students of this country are fighting for basic education. The farmers are asking for MSP for their crops. Labourers are fighting for their rights and have approached labour courts. Many people in the country are standing against the government as they fight for their rights and want to protect the Constitution. JNU elections have proved that students are not in favour of the Centre. Students are coming out to oust the BJP from power in 2024.
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