How does right wing student politics operate?-A sneakpeak into DUSU elections

Titu Bardhan

If JNUSU (Jawaharlal University Students Union) is famous for giving bright names such as Sitaram Yechury, Prakash Karat to Indian polity, DUSU also prides itself in matching up with Arun Jaitley and Vijay Goyel. But though JNUSU has maintained in giving serious intellectually and politically sound leaders, DUSU (Delhi University Students Union) has become what in simple terms is called 'Mad house'. Being a former DU student, I have had the displeasure of seeing DUSU elections up close, and believe me on this, the things which happen will make you cringe. DUSU elections is all about money and muscle. You won't find an ounce of democracy or any rational political activism in DUSU. So, get ready for the joyride. 

The last few DUSU elections have been won by the ABVP and NSUI, on alternate terms or jointly, with people like Satender Awana, Priyanka Chawri, Amit Tanwar and Rocky Tuseed leading it. But call it a coincidence, most of these big names have remained in the undergraduate level for years, specially in the two departments- Faculty of Law and Buddhist Studies. And post-elections, they aren't to be seen around. The Ramjas incident of 2017, where the vice-president of DUSU Ankit Singh Sangwan attacked organizers of the debate on tribal issues and the subsequent attacks by ABVP and people's resistance brought out the ever so existent fatality of DUSU. The office bearers of DUSU are always busy in getting hoardings for their birthdays, spending lavishly on parties and in their free time beating up political opponents. So, if I had to give you a diagram of how DUSU elections work, this would be it (according to the two major factions): 

It all starts with campaigning near the metro station. Hired students wearing symbols of the contesting organizations distribute all kinds of freebies, from packets of momos to expensive chocolates to the students with one thing wrapped-the name and number of the candidates contesting for the central posts. You walk a few metres towards the campus and you'll realize you aren't walking on a road, rather on paper pamphlets! The pamphlet that is wrapped around your momo packet is stewn in thousands on the road. There are other hired students who are throwing the pamphlets up into the air. Now, this process is unlawful according to the Green Tribunal but who cares it, this is Delhi University! If you are lucky you can also see the candidate atop their expensive SUV's with neckful of garlands, surrounded by supporters/bodyguards who would put Schwarzeneggar to shame anyday.

The mechanism of selecting candidates is interesting if you see the two major 'parties'- the Congress backed NSUI and BJP backed ABVP. Delhi is surrounded on its four sides by Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. The major part of the population which makes DU its stronghold are the Jatts and Gurjars. Both communities being large landowning communities, also hold control over loacal politics as well and DU becomes the arena of their cockfight. DUSU elections are held for 4 posts- President, Vice-President, General Secretary and Joint Secretary. Each time, both mother 'parties' in an ttempt to balance out community demands puts up two candidates from each community for the four posts. The equation stands like, if NSUI has a Jatt candidate for President, the ABVP will have a Gurjar for the same post. Each post, therefore, has one Gurjar fighting one Jatt from each 'party'. This polarisation is created to bring the most number of votes from specific communities. The leaders of the mother 'parties' see it as a medium to stake claim for their community in their respective parties. The lesser known organizations such as SFI or AISA haven't been able to make serious claims on DUSU though maintaining democratic ethos within the campus. 

The right authoritarian Union has been accused of violent mistreatment not only by common students but by girls of the campus due to which a whole new feminist resistance has grown, the 'Pinjra Tod'. The ABVP frequently attacks the opposition, specifically the SFI and AISA and their members both off and on campus. The support from the BJP has emboldended these musclemen of DUSU and ABVP to attack on anything that is democratic and rational with their age old rhetoric of nationalism and apolitical student politics and the more frequently used metal knuckles, bricks and hockey sticks. 

Winners change, sometimes they don't but DUSU remains the same. Year after year, 'opening up of hostels' remain only on paper. Funding for research, better facilities, lower fees remain only only in slogans for the rich brats who contest DUSU elections just to etch their name on DUSU history. Though the Left organizations have resurged through the Ramjas and Save DU movements, muscle and money still talks in DUSU. Come this September, muscle and money will talk again and after that, there will be slence, except the occasional 'Vande Mataram', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and cries of beaten up students.  

Titu Bardhan is an alumni of Delhi University and is presently Lecturer in Political Science at Bhowanipore Gujarati Education Society College, Kolkata.

Subaltern outlook and clinging to the campus amidst atrocity cannot be an excuse for the Left to continue with failure. Either the existing Left organizations innovate and reconstruct their strategies or new organizations sprout up with a more advanced propaganda to meet the call of the hour. 'The Diligent' is of the opinion that resurgence of Left wing student politics is the only path to eradicate such reckless lumpenisation of campus democracy.