Thursday, July 26, 2007

SFI-AISF Pamphlet

RALLY BEHIND THE JNUSU TO UPHOLD ITS SANCTITY AND PRESTIGE!
EXPOSE THE HYPOCRISY AND SURRENDER BY THE ULTRA-LEFT!!
July 25, 2007
Dear Friends,

The pamphlet issued by AISA yesterday was yet another instance of their hypocrisy on the one hand and their failure to uphold the sanctity and prestige of the JNUSU on the other. AISA has made three claims in its pamphlet: (i) The JNUSU office-bearers from the SFI-AISF are violating UGBM resolutions regarding the incident on 19th February; (ii) The refusal of the JNUSU office-bearers from the SFI-AISF to submit letters of regret violates the agreement signed between the JNUSU and the administration and (iii) SFI-AISF is trying to break students’ unity. Each one of these arguments is fallacious and sinister.

Who is violating UGBM Resolutions?

The UGBM held on 8th March 2007 was held in the backdrop of the JNUSU Council meeting expressing regret for the 19th February incident (the AISA representatives abstained on voting in the Council). Following the Council meeting, the JNUSU office-bearers along with some other students who were suspended, had already expressed regret on the lines of the JNUSU Council resolution. It was the DSU which defied the Council Resolution and refused to express regret. The UGBM endorsed the JNUSU Council Resolution expressing regret on the 19th February incident and rejected the DSU line of not expressing regret. It further resolved that upon expression of regret there should be no disciplinary action on any student and therefore no Proctorial enquiry into the matter. The JNUSU President communicated the UGBM resolution to the administration the very next day and the Proctorial Enquiry was boycotted by the JNUSU. Nobody from the SFI-AISF ever went to depose before the Proctorial enquiry. However, the submission of regret letters by the suspended students of DSU following the UGBM, was not in keeping with the JNUSU resolution: they regretted the “inconvenience caused, if any”. That was a violation of the UGBM resolution by the DSU.

It was in keeping with the UGBM resolution that the JNUSU launched an agitation against the rustication of 8 students and fine imposed upon the office-bearers, under the leadership of the JNUSU President from SFI-AISF. When the Administration agreed to reconsider the punishment on the basis of an appeal expressing regret, the JNUSU office-bearers from SFI-AISF categorically refused to submit any appeal once again. It was the AISA and the General Secretary of the JNUSU who were more than willing to submit regret letters, disregarding the letter and spirit of the UGBM resolution. Since SFI-AISF understands the concerns of the rusticated students, whose student life is at stake, it did not oppose an agreement with the administration on this basis. However, submission of any regret letter by the JNUSU office-bearers was categorically opposed by the SFI-AISF because the UGBM never mandated the JNUSU office-bearers to express regret on an individual basis. The minutes of the JNUSU Council and all-organization meetings held at the administrative block before signing the agreement with the administration would clearly show the various positions in that debate. JNUSU office-bearers had already expressed regret on the lines of the JNUSU Council resolution even before the UGBM was held! Therefore, it is the General Secretary of the JNUSU from the AISA who owes an explanation to the student community for submitting another regret letter! Did the General Secretary of the JNUSU seek the opinion of the student community before submitting another regret letter? Afraid of confronting the administration any more, even on legitimate grounds, the General Secretary of the JNUSU has meekly surrendered before the administration. Now, in order to justify his act of cowardice and opportunism, the AISA is leveling baseless charges against the SFI-AISF of violating UGBM resolution. Let the AISA mention one resolution passed in the UGBM which mandates the JNUSU office-bearers to submit another regret letter.

Where is the Breach of the Agreement?

The AISA has correctly pointed out that the agreement with the administration states: “The Vice chancellor has agreed to reconsider the punishment based on the Proctorial decision with regard to the incident that took place on 19th February 2007 on receiving individual letters of regret with an appeal from concerned students to enable them to register by 14th August 2007”. However, that JNUSU office-bearers have to make an appeal for seeking registration by 14th August 2007 is indeed a strange interpretation of the agreement on AISA’s part because the JNUSU office-bearers have not been denied registration in the first place; they have only been fined. This agreement is only meant for those students who have been rusticated and hence denied registration. The SFI-AISF sticks to the position that the fines levied on the JNUSU office-bearers, on the basis of the charge that they were ‘unable to control the situation’, should be revoked unconditionally. The SFI-AISF would have liked to see all the punishments revoked unconditionally in keeping with the UGBM resolution. However, since the rusticated students had agreed to make an appeal to the administration expressing regret once again, the SFI-AISF did not want to stand in the way of the revocation of their rustication. However, if anybody has breached the agreement, in the sense of going overboard in placating the administration, it is the General Secretary of the JNUSU, because the administration has never demanded any regret by the JNUSU office-bearers in the first place. In fact the SFI-AISF is shocked and dismayed by this supine attitude displayed by the General Secretary who is trying to bend backwards to appease the administration. Would he have the backbone to face the administration ever again and fight against anti-student moves? We doubt it strongly. It is indeed shameful for the AISA to have allowed the General Secretary to submit a regret letter and then accusing the SFI-AISF of trying to be “good boys” before the administration. This is a classic case of hypocrisy.

Who is Disrupting Student Unity?

AISA has accused the SFI-AISF of disrupting the unity of the students. This is in keeping with their unethical and immoral politics. The JNUSU President is yet to recover from the after-effects of the arduous indefinite hunger strike that he led from the front against the punishment of the students and the students’ charter of demands. The entire university was witness to the steadfast commitment of the SFI-AISF activists to student unity when they worked tirelessly during the difficult agitation in order to make it a success. How easily the AISA glosses over these facts for sectarian ends. We want to ask some simple questions to the AISA. Do they genuinely regret the incident of 19th February? If so, who do they hold responsible for it? As far as the JNUSU office-bearers from the SFI-AISF are concerned, they did not participate in the gherao of the Registrar, but could not prevent it from happening. They have already offered regret for that. But some students did tie a rope around the car of the Registrar, some deflated the tyres, some smeared black paint on the car and one student climbed on the top of the car and shouted slogans. Who were they? Was there a “collective” decision of the JNUSU or the UGBM to indulge in all these acts? AISA should either categorically deny their role on 19th February (which we know they can’t because they issued a pamphlet celebrating the ‘gherao’) or accept responsibility for the same. If the AISA’s parameters for expressing solidarity with workers’ rights or upholding student unity imply lying to the student community or justifying these adventurist acts, we are sorry we cannot pass the test. The Proctorial enquiry has nothing to do with this: the JNUSU has already rejected the punishments based on the Proctorial enquiry and fought to reverse them. However, AISA should not suffer from the illusion that they can obfuscate their adventurist role on 19th February before the student community, riding piggy back upon the successful agitation led by the JNUSU. The students of JNU would expect them not to repeat such stupid feats in future, which discredit the JNU student movement. The sanctity and prestige of the JNUSU is supreme, since it embodies the collective spirit of the JNU student community. The JNUSU office-bearers from the SFI-AISF would not submit any more appeal expressing regret. SFI-AISF demands that their fines be revoked unconditionally. If AISA does not support this position, let them at least not come in the way. Any effort on their part to collude with the administration against the SFI-AISF would not be forgiven by the student community.

Sd/- Rajiv Kumar Ranjan, Secy. , SFI-JNU.
Sd/- Fauzan Abrar, Jt. Secy., AISF-JNU.