Notice Against YFE dated 23rd Sept, '07

23-09-07

Reject the casteist & anti-student politics of Youth For (In) Equality

Friends,

JNU as a university has always stood for social justice, equality and quality in education and the society at large. The student community of our campus, under the leadership of the JNUSU, has ensured that in our university students from various regional and social backgrounds come to study. As a result, JNU is one of the few universities in our country which fulfills 22.5% reservation for SC/ST students. JNU is also the first university in the country to have an Equal Opportunity Office to redress incidents of casteist abuse on campus. This long cherished vision of JNU, which makes it a unique university, has been upheld and guarded by the sacrifices of generations of students over the last 35 years.

The Youth For (In) Equality is the organization in campus which is completely antithetical to this inclusive vision of JNU. The YFE as an organization was born with a single point of agenda of opposing OBC reservation in our campus. The students of JNU in the last JNUSU elections rejected this casteist agenda of YFE, electing pro-reservation candidates in all the central panel posts. It seems that the YFE has not learnt any political lesson from this mandate and are continuing with their casteist politics.

It is because of their narrow parochial and casteist politics that the YFE has not raised a single students issue over the last one year. Violating all norms of democratic functioning and accountability, the Councillors elected from YFE boycotted every Council Meeting in the tenure of this JNUSU Council closing any possibility of having formal Council Meetings. This has resulted in a situation where the Convenorships in the Science Schools remain undecided and the JNUSU has not been able to elect the representatives to GSCASH and other important committees in the University. The YFE is singularly responsible for scuttling the JNUSU Council Meetings this year. This is a complete betrayal of the mandate of the students that they have received to work in the JNUSU and proves that this casteist organization has no regard for the collective body of students in our campus. The student community is witness to the fact that every year, representatives from contending ideological persuasions get elected in the JNUSU Council. But it has never happened that a particular organization has boycotted Council Meetings and paralyzed important decision making procedures in the Council. We appeal to the students, to reject this undemocratic and diabolic game plan of the YFE to destroy the institution of JNUSU.

After their completely negative role on every important student issue over the last one year, the YFE has suddenly again cropped up just before the JNUSU elections. Using their ‘merit’, they have brought out a most ridiculous pamphlet suddenly questioning the SFI and Left about our position on the issue of OBC reservation. The entire campus is witness to the spirited resistance that the SFI-AISF led JNUSU had put up against the casteist politics of YFE, championing the cause of OBC reservation, not only in JNU but even outside the campus. We believe that there is a need to arrive at a judicious balance between quantity, quality and equity in the Indian education system. In this particular instance, the provision of reservations for OBCs was to be accompanied by an expansion in the facilities to ensure that the quantum of non-reserved seats will not be reduced. The government had worked out the modalities and many premier institutions like the IIM Ahmedabad had publicly announced their preparedness to implement OBC reservations having expanded the quantum of student intake. Even in our campus the Academic Council has ratified the implementation of 27% OBC reservation and 54% seat increase, inspite of the opposition of the YFE. A committee was formed to look into the modalities of increasing 54% seats with the requisite infrastructural facilities. All this process however stopped because of the Supreme Court’s stay order on the issue of OBC reservation, which was most unfortunate. While the matter is subjudice before the highest court in our country, we are committed to ensure 27% OBC reservation and 54% seat increase in JNU once the Supreme Court endorses the law passed in the Parliament.

The YFE again using their brand of convoluted arguments have suddenly arrived at the conclusion that the SFI is raising the issue of Indo-US Nuclear Deal to bypass the issue of reservations. We would like to tell them that they are living in a fool’s paradise. The Indo-US Nuclear Deal is an issue which concerns the independence and sovereignty of our country. The JNUSU signature campaign against the Indo-US Nuclear Deal has received an unprecedented response from the student community where 1720 students have signed, proving that the students of this campus are totally opposed to the UPA’s policy of making India into a subordinate ally of the USA. We challenge the YFE to take a position on the Indo-US Nuclear Deal instead of blabbering the arguments provided by their corporate bosses against the left. It is however anybody’s guess that the elitist YFE funded by corporate houses in the country will be in support of the Indo-US Nuclear Deal.

The YFE has suddenly realized, just before the elections, that the issue of scholarships is important for the students. Last year when the JNUSU was on an Indefinite Hunger Strike demanding enhanced MCM for all poor students, the YFE simply did not participate in the agitation. On the issue of UGC scholarships for research scholars in our campus, an All Organization Meeting was convened by the JNUSU President, to chalk out a future course of action to ensure that the cut off date for the scholarships is extended to 2005. The YFE did not participate in that meeting. The JNUSU in accordance with the decision in the All Organization Meeting has given a call for a Protest Demonstration tomorrow demanding that the cut off date for the UGC scholarships be extended to 2005 and the enhanced MCM of Rs 1500/month be provided forthwith. Instead of joining the JNUSU’s demonstration, the YFE has given a call for another demonstration on its own. This shows that the YFE is not bothered about forging student unity on genuine students’ issues. Rather the YFE’s concern for students’ issues is an election gimmick to be put up just before the JNUSU elections. We warn the YFE against taking the consciousness of the student community for granted. We appeal to the students to reject the casteist, anti-student politics of the Youth For (In) Equality.

Sd/- Roshan Kishore, President, SFI-JNU.

Sd/-Rajiv Kumar Ranjan, Secretary, SFI-JNU.