SFI pamphlet dated 22nd Aug, '08

Poster of UGBM on JNU 2008 Admissions

SFI-AISF pamphlet on 9th Aug, '07

9/08/07

Unite against the authoritarian administration!!
Revoke all fines on rusticated students and JNUSU President and Jt Secretary!!
Isolate and defeat the opportunist politics of AISA &DSU!!

Friends,

The SFI AISF congratulates the student community for their spirited protest against the breach of agreement on the issue of revocation of punishments to 11 students by the administration. Yesterday’s protest march and a total strike in the university today has sent a strong signal to the administration that the student community would not tolerate such breach of faith by the administration and the completely unjustified and unethical fines imposed on the rusticated students and the JNUSU President and Jt Secy must be removed. We would appeal to the students to remain united behind the JNUSU in any future course of action decided by it. Only a rock solid unity of the student community would ensure that the JNU administration is forced to remove all these fines and implements its own agreement in letter and spirit.

The SFI AISF firmly believes that the JNUSU President and Jt Secy should not tender any kind of appeal to the administration to get their fines revoked. It is highly unfortunate that the Gen Secy of the JNUSU has given yet another appeal expressing regret to the administration in order to get his punishment revoked. As of now he is the only one among the 11 students who is not facing any kind of punishment. Unable to provide any explanation to the student community for this meek surrender in front of the administration the AISA and the DSU is accusing the JNUSU President and Jt Secy of breaking the agreement with the administration.

We would like to repeat some questions to the AISA which they have not answered so far. The AISA had accused that the JNUSU President and Jt Secy are violating the UGBM resolution by not submitting these appeals. We would like to ask the AISA that which UGBM resolution mandated the JNUSU office-bearers to tender another round of appeals to the administration. The UGBM clearly said that there should be an unconditional withdrawal of all punishments against these students. In fact it was the DSU which violated the UGBM mandate. The regret letters submitted by their suspended students after the UGBM said they regretted the inconvenience caused if any, which is a clear violation of the UGBM resolution. This is why the SFI AISF was opposed to submitting any kind of appeals to the administration when the agreement was being discussed in an all organization meeting. It was only when the rusticated students expressed their willingness to submit these appeals that we decided not to come in the resolution of this process. But as far as the JNUSU office-bearers are concerned there is no question of them giving yet another round of appeal. The agreement clearly mentions that all concerned students would be enabled to register on the basis of appeals submitted to the administration. The JNUSU office-bearers have not been denied their registration in the first place. And this is why the Gen Secretary’s act is all the more shameful where he and his organization have gone overboard in order to placate the administration.

We would also like to ask the AISA and the DSU whether or not they sincerely regret the incident which took palce on the 19th of February. Both of them had celebrated the Gherao in their pamphlets after the 19th. The AISA representatives had abstained on the resolution expressing regret moved by the SFI AISF in the council. The DSU also opposed the resolution of the council in the UGBM. In fact charges were leveled both by the AISA and the DSU that by expressing regret over what transpired on the 19th the JNUSU President and the SFI AISF had compromised with the legacy of struggles which the JNUSU has been known for. We would like to ask the AISA and the DSU that if they were so convinced about not expressing regret over the incident of 19th why did they do it at all?

This double speak is all the more interesting with the AISA. Ever since the 19th when in came to accepting within the student community that this incident was a regrettable one and was not in accordance with the democratic traditions of protest, which the JNU student movement is known for the AISA has had a lot of problems. But they did not have any problems in expressing regret in front of the administration at any point of time. Nothing else can explain their fiery revolutionary rhetorics against any kind of regret by individual students in the UGBM when all 3 suspended students form AISA including the JNUSU Gen Secretary had already submitted their individual regret letters.

Such double speak and political bankruptcy clearly reflects the degenerate and unprincipled stance of the ultra left vis-à-vis the JNU student movement in our campus. The SFI AISF and the student community no not need any lessons from them as on what constitutes the sanctity and prestige of the JNUSU. The sheer bankruptcy of their position emerges from the fact that within a span of 5 months they have arrived at a completely opposite stand on the question of regret. After 19th February it was being said that expressing regret would undermine the Sanctity of the JNUSU and now it is being argued that it the JNUSU President and Jt Secy do not give appeals they are undermining the Sanctity of the JNUSU. So much for their alternative model of the JNUSU! It is highly unfortunate that the ultra left is using the language of the administration and in a subtle manner of the right wing in the campus which has been saying that the JNUSU office bearers are the one who were the biggest culprits in the 19th February incident.

Acting in their typical petty bourgeoisie infantile style the DSU has accused the SFI AISF led JNUSU of tokenism in the name of protests. We would like to warn the DSU against such attacks on the JNU student movement which only shows their lack of understanding and commitment towards the JNUSU. We would like to make it clear to these ultra revolutionaries that movements and protests are not won on empty rhetoric but by mobilizing students against the administration. The entire campus had seen the steadfast commitment of the SFI AISF activists when they worked tirelessly during the agitation to ensure that all the unjust punishments against the 11 students were withdrawn. SFI AISF led JNUSU have had a glorious history of struggle against both authoritarian administrations as well as reactionary and right wing political attacks on the secular democratic culture of our campus. As far as tokenism is concerned we would also like to ask the DSU that why did their activists not come in the school (except a couple of them) to help the JNUSU enforce its strike in the morning. Was DSU showing only a token support for the JNUSU strike? The student community of this campus has always shown these ivory tower revolutionaries their due place in JNU and if they continue to indulge in baseless and unjustified attacks against the JNUSU then they would be given a fitting rebuff for this kind of opportunism and sectarian acts.

We also appeal to the AISA to stop spreading confusion and misinformation among the students and maintain a unity against this authoritarian administration. If their Gen Secretary does not have the spine to stand up against this administration in order to get his punishment revoked we would appeal to the AISA not to create any obstacles in this struggle. The students of this campus would not tolerate any breach of agreement by the administration or any attempt to browbeat the office of JNUSU which has been the vanguard of the student movement in this campus since the last 3 decades.

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

Sd/- Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, AISF-JNU.

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.