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NSUI Starts Indefinite Hunger Strike to Put Forth Demands

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With unwavering purposefulness, NSUI started an indefinite hunger strike from the afternoon of January 23, 2018 at the Arts Faculty.
Members of NSUI braved the rains and flagged slogans such as, “Chatron ke samman mein, NSUI maidan mein” (NSUI has come out to work for the students), “Hum apna adhikar mangte, nahi kisise bheek mangte” (we ask for out rights, but refuse to beg), and “University humare-aapki, nahi kisike baap ki” (this university is ours, not any familial property).

In the hunger strike wherein senior members of the NSUI like Akshay Lakra and Anushesh Sharma were present, the gathering demanded the setup of a central library which would be open 24 hours of the day, u-special buses in campus for DU students, fee reduction of the Delhi School of Journalism, and special metro concessional passes for DU students.

It is noteworthy that until 2013, a number of University buses were plying to cater to DU students. But now, there is not a single u-special bus. As such, students of far-flung colleges such as Shyamlal College and Vivekananda College have been forced to use private cabs which dig a hole into their pockets. This also affects the safety of girls studying in colleges like Aditi Mahavidyalaya as they are forced to risk their lives and travel alone.

On being asked about their third demand by DU Beat, NSUI Delhi President Akshay Lakra reasoned, “Delhi Metro fare has almost doubled in the past 1.5 years. In October last year, I along with two NSUI activists Shauryaveer Singh and Arjun Chaprana were compelled to jump into the metro tracks in a protest to attract the attention of the government. But till date, nothing has progressed on that front.”
Speaking further on their fourth demand, Akshay Lakra asserted that the high fees for the Delhi School of Journalism symbolises defacto privatisation and hence needs to be reduced.
On being asked whether there has been any response from the authorities’ side, NSUI National Secretary Anushesh Sharma said, “We have tried to contact the VC and the Dean of DU, but they have ignored our demands. When we put forth our demand of a 24/7 centralized library, they ignored the same on the premise of security and budget excuses. Hence we will continue to strive for the students until our demands are fulfilled.”

Feature Image Credits: Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak for DU Beat

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
[email protected]

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DUB News

NSUI-led DUSU Launches Students’ Charter

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In an exceptional initiative, the NSUI-led Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), in consultation with the University of Delhi, has drafted a Students’ Charter that seeks to enable students to exercise their rights. The draft of the Charter was launched at a program held from 11 a.m. on 23rd January, 2018 at Ramjas College, in the presence of DUSU President Rocky Tusseed, Vice President Kunal Sehrawat, and AICC Secretary Ruchi Gupta besides others.

On being asked about the motive behind this momentous move, Ruchi Gupta, who is also the NSUI National In-Charge said, “The NSUI had fought the elections on the premise of two promises. One, restoring free speech, critical thinking and academic autonomy; the other, defining the democratic role of student unions in the governance of universities. Now, we want to take that forward by ensuring that there is free speech within the University.”
In the backdrop of the conflicting relationship between the students and university administrations across the country, this draft charter provides hope of reconciliation between the two, and provides a framework for the University to develop and improve its services.
The draft of the Charter is divided into 2 sections. One contains the Fundamental Rights of students that the University must recognise. The second contains the Directive Principles, which, although unenforceable by a court of law, are significant for the University administration. While the former notably includes the right to have an environment free from sexual and mental harassment, the noteworthy point in the latter is the guidelines for the University to provide accurate information to the students about its statutes, methods of assessment, and attendance requirements amongst other regulations.

On being asked about the future course of action, DUSU Vice-President Kunal Sehrawat assured, “We will be in consultation with DU colleges and will take feedback from the students. With their support, we will approach the VC for his endorsement. Once this charter is passed by the DUSU, we will take it to all the other universities to create a spirited learning atmosphere across the country.”

 

Feature Image credits: Anushesh Sharma

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak [email protected]

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DUB Speak

The DU Political Game: for few or for all?

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Known as one of the largest student elections in the country, but the question remains; are they representative of all the students who cast their vote, or is it just a game of political dominance with a handful of players participating each time?

Beginning from a sociological point of view, it is imperative to state that the caste system forms the foundation of Hinduism. Its ubiquity can be guaranteed from the simple fact that its absence from any of the aspects of life will lead to the collapse of the religion as a whole. In recent years, it has successfully made its way into student politics.
Be it the power of a temple in the state of Uttar Pradesh, or the presence of students belonging to aspiring minority communities in bulk in the University of Delhi (DU); caste as an entity has struck at every rung of the political system.

With the nearing Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election day , parties are leaving no stone unturned to establish their presence in every DU student’s life by featuring life size posters boasting of the names of the contesting candidates . However, if observed carefully, one can conclude (like I have), that almost all the candidates belong to either the same community or different communities within the same region; predominantly the Jats, the Gujjars and the Yadavs. Hence, caste becomes an overarching term bringing region into its fold as well; in this case, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

This practice becomes evident through the composition of major student wings such as the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and the NSUI (National Students’ Union of India) of the ‘INC (ndian National Congress) . When I consider the range of DUSU elections all over the country, I do not find any candidate from down South, the East, or the North-East. The northern region remains centripetal not just for the monetary and muscle factors, but also for the empathy factor that works in the undercurrent.

Taking into account the statistics of elections conducted in the last couple of years, it has been observed that the candidates elected for the post of president have belonged to either of the communities. For example, Amit Tanwar, the outgoing President from ABVP belongs to the Jat community. There were others such as Arun Hooda and Ajay Chhikara from NSUI, and Mohit Nagar from ABVP.

Apart from the ABVP and NSUI, who usually grab the ballots’ limelight; minor parties such as INSO (Indian National Students Organization) and CYSS (Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti), the student wing of the AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) too invest in candidates from these communities so as to gain impetus. AISA (All India Students Association), the student wing of CPI (ML) (the Communist Party of India’-(Marxist Leninst) ) mostly banks on female candidates for its premier posts.

With another round of elections coming up this year, while nothing can be ascertained until the declaration of results, some things form the norm! But, for more, we will have to wait for the big day!

Feature Image Credits: Indian Express

Shrija Ganguly
[email protected]

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DUSU Elections 2017

In wake of the upcoming DUSU Elections, ABVP organises ‘Chatra Adhikar Rally’ at North Campus

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In the sunny afternoon of 30th August 2017 Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi (ABVP) organised a ‘Chattra Adhikar Rally’ at the north campus of Delhi University. The rally which was organised in the wake of the upcoming elections, ABVP pushed forward its demands for U-Special Buses, more hostels and supplementary exams from the administration.
The rally which was scheduled to begin at afternoon beginning at 1 PM. The rally started with the speeches by several supporters and activists. The crowd which was sparse at the beginning started growing in its size within an hour as individual candidates arrived with their supporters in large numbers. This was followed by speeches by the prime candidates who aspire to fight DUSU elections on an ABVP ticket. Amidst shouting of support slogans of candidates, some of them spoke about their plans for the upcoming year, if they win the elections. The major plank on which ABVP is going to fight the elections this year is hostels, U-Special buses and supplementary exams.
While speaking at the rally some leaders took the credit of drawback of FYUP as well as printing of statement of marks. Some of the candidates also highlighted that keeping anti-national forces out of the University would be their prime focus. A brief spell of rains in the middle of the event forced the supporters to seek shelter under roofs available nearby. As the rains paused, the rally begun from the arts faculty and proceeded through the Ramjas College and then passed through the arts faculty through the road in front of SRCC. The rally ended with slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’.
Speaking to DU Beat, Saket Bahuguna-the national media convener of ABVP said “The rally was organised in the wake of elections. This coming out of students in large numbers is a wakeup call for the administration to fulfil our demands.”

Image credits: Srivedant Kar for DU Beat.
Srivedant Kar
[email protected]

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