Release on the Black Day of Condoleezza Rice's visit to New Delhi

SFI Pamphlet dated 25th September, '08

SFI-AISF pamphlet dated 26th Aug, '08

Trust-Vote Aftermath Public Meeting poster

pamphlet dated 18th July, '08

A Few Questions to AISA

Pamphlet dated 16th July, '08

Questions to NSUI on Nuclear Deal

Public Meeting on Nuclear Deal

Activist Meeting of SFI-AISF

Activist Meeting

Indo-US Nuclear Deal and Current Political Situation

Kaveri Mess
12th July, '08
9.15 pm


All members and sympathizers of SFI-AISF are requested to attend

SFI Pamphlet dated 11th July, '08

Pamphlet dated 25th Jan, '08

Pamphlet Dated 31st Oct, '07

JNUSU-SIS Pamphlet dated 3rd Oct, '07

03/10/07

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ UNION

SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

Friends,

The Annual School GBM of SIS will be held on 04-10-07 (Tomorrow) from 10:00am at Room No 114 in SIS. The Annual School GBM is a unique feature of the JNUSU, whereby at the end of its tenure, the JNUSU Council presents a report in front of the student community enumerating the work of the Union over the last one year, ensuring accountability of the Union, before it is handed over to the Election Committee. We appeal to the student community of SIS to participate in large numbers in tomorrow’s GBM.

The tenure of the present JNUSU has been one in which concrete advances has been made for the students in our campus. The JNUSU in the summer vacations led a historic agitation culminating in a 12 days Hunger Strike against Administrative high-handedness and making important demands on students’ issues. As a result of this agitation, the Administration had to withdraw the punishments meted out to the students and concede to the demands of the students for more scholarships and better facilities. Along with this the JNUSU also compelled the Administration to constitute a committee to ensure minimum wages for all workers in the University. In this agitation, the students of SIS along with the SIS Council had made major contributions, with the Convenor of SIS sitting on a Hunger Strike for 8 days. Along with this, at the School level too, there have been many gains by the student council.

Apart from mobilizing students for better students’ facilities, the JNUSU since its inception have strived to be a part of the larger democratic movement in the country fighting for a better and emancipated India. This year too, the JNUSU has expressed solidarity with all progressive movements in our country fighting against imperialism, casteism, communalism or patriarchy and mobilized students against all forms of oppression. The biggest issue confronting our country today is that of the Indo-US Nuclear Deal. The SIS Council has played an important role in mobilizing students against the Indo-US Nuclear Deal and in defence of our sovereignty, independent foreign policy and multi-polarity at the world level. The JNUSU also conducted a massive signature campaign against the Indo-US Nuclear Deal and organized a convention against it. The large participation of students on these issues only shows the anti-imperialist legacy of our university.

We appeal to the student community to participate in the debate in the Annual School GBM, upholding the democratic traditions of our university and support the Convenor’s report because of the concrete advances achieved by JNUSU and also for the steadfast position of the JNUSU against all forms of oppression and injustice.

Sd/- P K Anand, Convenor, JNUSU-SIS.

SFI pamphlet dated 1st Oct, '07

1st October ’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 an organization in campus which is completely antithetical to this socially sensitive vision of JNU.

Stop a running commentary of the court proceedings on a matter which is sub judice!:

The YFE as an organization was born with a single point of agenda of opposing OBC reservation in our campus. They have been off late coming out with a series of releases on campus against the OBC reservation based on the proceedings in the Supreme Court. It is alarming that an issue which is subjudice is being discussed and commented upon at will by this organization. The YFE should have the patience to wait for the final judgement before jumping the gun. If they are so interested in doing a running commentary of the proceedings in the court they better choose some other profession which suits their talent. But there are some more important and pertinent questions that we would like to ask from the YFE.

Why did the YFE not function in the JNUSU despite being elected?:

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. We firmly believe that the absence of convenors in the schools where they were elected was a ploy of the YFE not to be held accountable for their non-performance in the JNUSU in the last one year. Even apart from betraying the mandate of the science schools, the YFE is singularly responsible for paralyzing the entire JNUSU Council this year. The student community is witness to the fact that every year, representatives from contending ideological platforms get elected to the JNUSU Council and it is through intense debates and deliberations within the council that a collective position of the JNUSU is arrived at least on basic students’ issues. But a complete boycott of the council which is the collective body of the entire student community of JNU shows their utter non-seriousness and disregard towards genuine students’ issues. Their scant regard for a unique and truly democratic body like the JNUSU was also exemplified by the fact when they decided not to oppose the undemocratic Lyngdoh Committee recommendations in JNU. This they did when all the students’ organizations on campus except the YFE had taken an unequivocal stand to uphold the unique nature of the election process of our university. Even the Lyngdoh committee recommendations upheld the JNU election process as a role model for other universities but the YFE still did not see any reason in this collective response of the students of JNU. We appeal to the students, to reject this undemocratic and diabolic game plan of the YFE to destroy the institution of JNUSU.

YFE: the barsati mendhaks of JNU:

After their completely negative role on every important student issue over the last one year, the YFE has again cropped up suddenly like the barsati mendhaks (seasonal frogs) just before the JNUSU elections. Using their ‘merit’, they had also brought out an absurd pamphlet 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 had given a call for a Protest Demonstration 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 had 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, antistudent politics of the Youth For (In) Equality.

Sd/- Rajiv Kumar Ranjan, Secretary, SFI-JNU.
Sd/- Roshan Kishore, President, SFI-JNU.

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.

JNUSU Convention on Indo-US Nuclear Deal

ATTEND IN LARGE NUMBERS!!

Release in Run Up to the convention against nuclear deal

LONG LIVE OUR STRUGGLE AGAINST US IMPERIALISM!!

Poster on Protest March called by CPI-M against Nuclear Deal

UNITE TO UPHOLD OUR SOVEREIGNTY AND INDEPENDENT FOREIGN POLICY!!

SFI Pamphlet dated 15th September, '07

15.09.07

Oppose AISA’s politics of lies and slander against the Left

The Indo-US Nuclear Deal is currently at the centre of politics in our country. On the one hand we have the ruling classes and the elites in accordance with the Congress led UPA Government clamouring in favour of the Deal, which will pave the way for more and more subservience to US interests. On the other hand, we have a mass opposition to the Indo-US Nuclear Deal and the growing proclivity of the Indian Government to the USA, led by the Left Parties. The struggle which has ensued in the national arena today is a struggle for upholding our independence, sovereignty and anti-imperialist legacy. In this struggle it is only natural that the Left which has always been the torchbearers of anti-imperialism in India is leading the charge.

Given this mass based opposition to the Indo-US Nuclear Deal under the leadership of the Left, the main opposition party in the country, BJP is in complete shambles. After all, the architecture for the present strategic alliance with the USA was detailed under the BJP-led NDA rule! In order to hide its hypocrisy in now opposing the nuclear deal, the BJP succeeded in its diabolical effort to subvert a parliamentary discussion on the Indo-US nuclear deal. A discussion in the parliament would have clearly demonstrated, presuming that the BJP would have echoed its public opposition to the deal inside the parliament, that a majority of the Indian parliament is opposed to the deal. It is, however, clear that the BJP chose to disrupt the debate as it would have exposed its double speak on the issue as evident from Mr. Advani's public retracing of the BJP's initial opposition. The opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal on the part of the BJP is also extremely opportunistic. This is evident from the fact that the BJP has attacked the Left for not toppling the Government, while preventing a discussion in the Parliament.

In this national political context, it is shameful that the AISA's point of attack on the issue of nuclear deal continues to be the Left, particularly, CPI(M). The pamphlet of AISA, 13-09-07, only reinforces our point that the ultra-left in our campus is the most sectarian. While the country has witnessed massive mobilization of the people under the leadership of the Left against the nuclear deal and the Joint Naval exercises, the CPI(M-L) or AISA or any other naxal outfit has not mobilized anybody against the deal. Why? Simply because the ultra-left is obsessed with the crudest form of anti-CPI(M) politics and do not care for having any meaningful intervention at the national level against the anti-people policies pursued by the ruling classes. No wonder that the people of the country has thoroughly rejected their politics, whereby the CPI (M-L) does not even have a single MP in the Parliament.

The AISA in the most infantile manner has charged the CPI(M) of double speak for appreciating the PM's assurances given to the Parliament on 17th August 2006 and then demanding non-operationalisation of the 123 agreement now. This is, to say the least, a childish assertion, bordering on political illiteracy. In August 2006, the Left parties had raised 9 points regarding the Indo-US nuclear deal, which were addressed through concrete assurances made by the Prime Minister in Parliament on 17th August 2006. However, after that the Hyde Act was passed in December 2006, the CPI (M) and the Left parties had stated that the Hyde Act provisions were grossly violative of the assurances made by the Prime Minister in Parliament. The Left parties had asked the Government not to proceed with the negotiations on the bilateral agreement. Four such statements were issued since December 2006. To argue a CPI(M) double speak without taking into account the passing of the Hyde Act in the US, after the PM's statements, is being deliberately malicious against the Left, parroting the slander of the media.

AISA's political bankruptcy is also exposed by its attacking the CPI (M) for not having a vote in the Parliament on the Nuclear Deal. A minimum amount of knowledge regarding the proceedings in the Parliament is enough for one to understand that never in the history of Indian Parliament has a foreign treaty been put to vote. The present Speaker of the Parliament has only acted according to the rules of the House. The Left Parties do not agree with this provision and has stated that “The Left parties will press for a Constitutional amendment for bringing international treaties and certain bilateral agreements for approval in parliament.” (Left Parties Statement on August 7, 2007). To blame the Left for not putting the agreement to vote, while remaining completely silent on the BJP's disruption of any discussion in the Parliament, only shows the shallow levels of political understanding that the AISA as an organization has.

The people of this country are testimony to the valiant struggle that the Left is waging against the Indo-US Nuclear Deal and the policies of the UPA to become junior partners of US imperialism. In this struggle, it is of utmost importance that all progressive forces join hands. AISA's political bankruptcy and single point anti-Left agenda is only strengthening the hands of the right wing. We appeal to the student community to rally bahind the Left in opposing the Indo-US nuclear deal while isolating the pro-US BJP and the anti-Left sectarian AISA.

Sd/- Rajiv Ranjan, Secretary, SFI-JNU; Sd/- Roshan Kishore, President, SFI-JNU.