STUDENTS UNITED SHALL ALWAYS BE VICTORIOUS!!

(Above: Submitted by JNUSU President to VC on 10th Aug informing the administration of their breach in the agreement of 12th July and calling for immediate revocation of all punsihments)

(Above: Covering Letter to the 10th Aug letter, submitted by JNUSU President to VC on 17th Aug on the Indefinite Hunger Strike)

(Above: Letter from Chief Proctor's office stating the unconditional withdrawal of punishment of Jyotsna, JNUSU Jt. Secy) (Above: Letter from Chief Proctor's office stating the unconditional withdrawal of punishment of Dhananjay, JNUSU President)
(Above: Letter from Chief Proctor's office stating the withdrawal of punishment of Sandeep, JNUSU General Secretary, which is clearly based on the regret letter submitted by him on 17th July, and also granted by the administration after taking into cognizance his 'good conduct' during the interim period. It also warns him "not to repeat in future incidents like the gherao on 19th February, 2007")

CARRY FORWARD THE LEGACY OF PRINCIPLED STRUGGLES AGAINST ADMINISTRATION!!

DEFEAT THE HYPOCRITE AND TREACHEROUS ULTRA-LEFT!!

We congratulate the student community for the withdrawal of the fines on the JNUSU President and Joint Secretary by the JNU Administration. Though the insensitive administration had taken a stiff position, it was the long and arduous struggle waged under the leadership of the SFI-AISF that the adminsitration was forced to come to the negotiating table and accept all the genuine demands of the students. By using the Gherao of the Registrar on 19th February, 2007 as a pretext, the administration had sought to crackdown on the JNU student movement. However, the valiant struggle of the students under the banner of the JNUSU which included a 12 day indefinite hunger strike during the month of June-July compelled the administration to accede to the students' demands.

While the SFI kept reiterating the position that the JNUSU Office-bearers should not give any sought of appeal to the administration as it would undermine the sanctity of the JNUSU as an institution that has had a historic legacy of 3 decades of valiant struggles, the AISA and its General Secretary in the JNUSU went overboard submitted appeal letters to the administration along with the other concerned students. The administration went back on its agreement with the JNUSU on 12th July, '07 and imposed fines on the 8 concerned students even though they had submitted appeal letters as pointed out in the agreement. The administration also revoked the fine on the JNUSU Genereal Secretary, Sandeep (displayed above) based on the regret letter he had submitted. However, the revocation was clearly on the condition that he had to watch his behaviour in future. This clearly reflected his meek surrender before the administration, thereby treacherously back-stabbing the entire student movement. Following his path, the other 8 students after offering lame opinions, also paid their fines to the administration to get their registrations done, inspite of the continous appeals by the SFI and the JNUSU President and Joint Secretary not to do so.

However, the SFI mainatined its principle position and refused to submit any letter to the administration or pay even a single pie as fine. Carrying this forward, the JNUSU President submitted two letters to the Vice-Chancellor on 10th and 17th August, '07 (Displayed above) asking him to intervene in the matter and not to precipitate things, thereby creating an impasse. It was also conveyed to the VC in letter on 10th Aug that the JNUSU would be forced to go into agitational course of action if the punishments were not revoked. The covering letter dated 17th Aug clearly stated that since the JNU administration had not revoked the fines, the JNUSU had launched an indefinite hunger strike. Following this pressure, the adminsitration was forced to get its act together and revoke the punishments on the JNUSU President & Joint Secretary through two letters from the Chief Proctor's Office. This revocation carries no conditionality and also the text & tenor do not point out any need to watch their behaviour or the fact that punsihments were being revoked for their "good conduct" unlike in the case of the JNUSU General Secretary.

This victory once again reaffirms the legacy of the JNU Student Movement and its pivotal force, the JNUSU wherein the glorious and valiant struggles waged in the last 30 years have led to major achievements for the student community. The SFI-AISF led JNUSUs in the past years have upheld this tradition and thorugh the numerous struggles have time and again defeated the nefarious designs of the administration. The compromising positions of the Ultra-Left in the campus, that is the AISA and DSU have once again stands exposed before the students who refuse to go beyond the rhetoric and easily succumb before the adminsitration. We appeal to the student community to isolate such treacherous and spineless forces and rally behind the SFI-AISF in the coming days to achieve all the genuine demands of the students.

SFI Pamphlet - 18th Aug, '07

18/08/07

Carry forward the legacy of principled struggles against the anti-student administration!
Expose the hypocrisy and treachery of the General Secretary of the JNUSU!

Friends,

We would like to congratulate the student community for forcing the administration to withdraw the unjust fines imposed on the JNUSU President and Joint Secretary without imposing any further conditionality. On the 1st day of the indefinite hunger strike itself the Chief proctor’s Office issued letters to the JNUSU President and Joint Secretary which says that on the basis of letters written by the JNUSU President on 10th August and 17th August, the fines imposed on the JNUSU President and Joint Secretary are being waived off. The administration was also forced to remove the humiliating text and tenor of the letter given to other students earlier which said that these punishments are being removed because of the “conduct” of these students and carried a warning of such actions in the future as well.

This is a big victory for the JNU student movement and after yesterday’s agreement, the JNU student community has foiled the nefarious designs of the JNU administration to suppress and browbeat the JNU student movement and the office of JNUSU on the pretext of the incident of 19th February after a prolonged struggle, which was started on June 23rd.

The student community under the leadership of the JNUSU President and Joint Secretary has forced the administration to accept the principled position taken by the UGBM held on 8th March that after the students have expressed regret for the unfortunate incident of 19th February all punishments should be withdrawn without imposing any further conditionality on the students.

While this victory has once again reaffirmed the stature of JNU student movement it is very unfortunate that certain organizations and their representatives in the JNUSU have made every possible attempt to betray and backstab the spirited struggle of the student community which was based on the UGBM’s principled position. The SFI strongly condemns this politics of treachery and betrayal by the ultra left (read the AISA and DSU) in our campus. Unable to provide an explanation for their abject surrender in front of the administration by paying fines to get registration (the inspiration for which came from the JNUSU Gen Secretary’s unilateral submission of regret to the administration in order to get his punishment revoked), these self proclaimed revolutionaries have now shamelessly resorted to the logic of right wing forces to attack the SFI and the JNUSU President. In its yesterday’s pamphlet the AISA has said that there is a nexus between the SFI and the JNU administration and that is why the fines on JNUSU President and Joint Secretary have been removed. Depicting absolute bankruptcy and degeneration they have repeated the right wing’s slander against the JNUSU that hunger strikes are mere electoral gimmicks and an eye wash for the new students. Such slander and mud slinging against the left, which often converges with the extremely right wing reactionary
attacks is another hallmark of infantile petty-bourgeois type of ultra left politics in communist movement since the very beginning.

The SFI would like to warn these coward and saboteur elements to desist from spreading such lies and inflict any further damage to the glorious legacy of JNU student movement which has been built after immense sacrifices and struggles by the students of this university over more than 3 decades. If they do not have the political ideological motivation and courage to fight against injustice and oppression then they should rather sit happily in their rooms and shed away all their revolutionary rhetoric aimed at misleading the student community. The Gen Secretary of the JNUSU along with the AISA and the DSU owe an explanation to the student community for their continuous betrayal and ever changing positions on the incident of 19th February. We would like to challenge the JNUSU Gen Secretary and these organizations to take up a position vis-à-vis these questions before trying to malign this historic victory of the JNU student movement over this authoritarian and anti-student administration.

1. The AISA and DSU both celebrated the gherao in their pamphlets after 19th February. The General Secretary and other representatives from AISA in the JNUSU council abstained on the resolution expressing regret on the incident of 19th February which was moved by SFI-AISF representatives. The DSU voted against the JNUSU Council’s resolution expressing regret on the incident of 19th February. Do the AISA and DSU sincerely believe that the incident of 19th
February was a regrettable one and was an aberration in the student movement in JNU?

2. Why did the DSU activists violate the resolution of the UGBM when they submitted letters to the administration expressing regret for inconvenience caused if any, which was a violation of the UGBM resolution?

3. Why did the JNUSU General Secretary unilaterally submit an appeal expressing regret to the administration when there was no consensus on this issue in the all organization meeting held before the agreement was reached?

4. Why did the other rusticated students submit their fines when it was decided in an all organization meeting that imposing fines was a breach of the agreement on the part of the administration?

5. On what basis have the AISA and DSU accused the JNUSU President and Joint Secretary of disassociating from the struggle, when it was only them who refused from submitting the fines and were hence denied registration till the 14th of August?

6. If the AISA and DSU thought that the JNUSU President has abdicated his responsibility of fighting for the students then why did not the Vice President and General Secretary start an agitation against the administration rather than convincing everybody to submit the fines? Were the JNUSU General Secretary and Vice President trying to act as good boys of the administration?

The SFI would like to challenge the AISA and DSU to provide answers to these specific questions, which they have shamelessly evaded so far. We would also advise them to refrain from spreading lies and misinformation in order to conceal their own ideological, political and moral bankruptcy. It takes more than empty rhetoric against the SFI and the Left movement in India to fight against injustice and an anti-student administration; it is clear that the AISA and DSU are bereft of even an iota of self-respect and resolve to fight for the rights of students. SFI appeals to the members and sympathizers of AISA and DSU to seriously introspect about the kind of opportunist and compromise-driven politics which is being justified by their leadership in order to settle scores with the SFI. The conscious student community of JNU would give these traitors a fitting rebuff in a not so distant future.

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

SFI Pamphlet 14th Aug, '07

August 14, 2007

RISE IN DEFENCE OF THE JNUSU!
ISOLATE THE TREACHEROUS ULTRA-LEFT!!

Friends,

The JNU administration has so far refused to revoke the fines imposed upon the President and Joint Secretary of the JNUSU. The last date for registration being over, the fact that the administration has stuck to this patently unjust and outrageous position of imposing fines upon JNUSU office-bearers, proves that the real motive behind the punitive actions taken on the apparent basis of the 19th February incident, was to weaken and browbeat the JNU student movement and its spearhead, the JNUSU.

The JNUSU President and Joint Secretary have taken a principled position of not paying the fines, imposed upon them on the grounds that they were “unable to control the situation” on 19th February. It is highly unfortunate that the General Secretary of the JNUSU has got his fine waived by striking a deal with the administration and submitting an individual appeal expressing regret over the 19th February incident. The JNUSU Council and the UGBM having collectively expressed regret in the last semester, there was absolutely no basis for any of the JNUSU office-bearers submitting regret letters on an individual basis. Neither was this a part of the agreement between the JNUSU and the JNU administration. It is clear that by breaking ranks with the other office-bearers, the General Secretary of the JNUSU has become a party to the nefarious design of the JNU administration to politically victimize the JNUSU President and Joint Secretary. This is yet another instance of a sordid betrayal of the JNU student movement by the ultra-Left.

From glorifying the gherao of the Registrar after 19th February to the abject surrender before the administration by the General Secretary of the JNUSU and the activists of AISA and DSU, who paid their fines yesterday, the ultra-Left has traversed the entire cycle: from an act of sheer adventurism to an unprincipled and pathetic submission before the authorities. This does not surprise the SFI, since all this is typical of the ultra-Left. It fits so well Lenin’s description of the Left-deviation in the Communist movement: “The petty bourgeois ‘driven to frenzy’ by the horrors of capitalism [violation of minimum wages in JNU in the present case] is a social phenomenon which, like anarchism, is characteristic of all capitalist countries. The instability of such revolutionism [the gherao of 19th February], its barrenness [glorifying the gherao initially and denying it later], its liability to become swiftly transformed into submission [JNUSU General Secretary submitting an individual apology letter to the administration and AISA and DSU activists eventually paying fines], apathy, fantasy, and even a ‘frenzied’ infatuation with one or another bourgeois ‘fad’ [leveling false accusations against the SFI and the CPI (M) and blaming them for everything] — all this is a matter of common knowledge.” (Excerpt from Leftwing Communism, An Infantile Disorder).

The cynical attempts by the AISA and DSU to justify their crass surrender before the administration and payment of fines in their pamphlets yesterday also fits well Lenin’s description of “Leftwing Childishness”: “There could not be better confirmation, in political literature [AISA and DSU pamphlets issued yesterday], of the utter naïveté of the defence of petty-bourgeois sloppiness [paying the fines after calling them ‘unjust’] that is sometimes concealed by “Left” slogans [DSU pamphlet had the heading ‘Two Steps Forward, One Step Back’].” Writing on compromises, Lenin had written: “There are compromises and compromises. One must be able to analyze the situation and the concrete conditions of each compromise, or of each variety of compromise. One must learn to distinguish between a man who gave the bandits money and firearms in order to lessen the damage they can do [JNUSU and UGBM expressing regret on the 19th February incident] and facilitate their capture and execution, and a man who gives bandits money and firearms in order to share in the loot [JNUSU General Secretary submitting regret letter to the administration and AISA/DSU paying fines in order to fix the JNUSU President and Joint Secretary]…to reject compromises ‘on principle’ [like AISA and DSU], to reject the admissibility of compromises in general, no matter of what kind, is childishness, which it is difficult even to take seriously. A political leader who desires to be useful to the revolutionary proletariat must know how to single out concrete cases when such compromises are inadmissible, when they are an expression of opportunism and treachery, and direct all the force of criticism, the full edge of merciless exposure and relentless war, against those concrete compromises [the present surrender by the ultra-Left]…that is really tantamount to the worst kind of opportunism, treachery and betrayal.” (Excerpt from Leftwing Communism, An Infantile Disorder) In keeping with this understanding, the SFI hereby declares an ideological-political war against this opportunism, treachery and betrayal by the AISA and DSU.

AISA and DSU, through their actions have once again proved that ‘Left’ and rightwing deviations are two sides of the same coin. Writing in 1937 Comrade Mao Tse Tung had said: “We are opposed to die-hards in the revolutionary ranks whose thinking fails to advance with changing objective circumstances and has manifested itself historically as Right opportunism. These people fail to see that the struggle of opposites has already pushed the objective process forward while their knowledge has stopped at the old stage. [AISA and DSU have failed to realize that the valiant agitation fought under the JNUSU leadership has changed the objective situation] This is characteristic of the thinking of all die-hards. Their thinking is divorced from social practice and they cannot march ahead to guide the chariot of society, they simply trail behind, grumbling that it goes too fast and trying to drag it back or turn it in the opposite direction. [By submitting regret letters, paying fines and surrendering before the administration] We are also opposed to ‘Left’ phrase mongering. The thinking of ‘Leftists’ outstrips a given stage of development of the objective process; some regard their fantasies as truth, while others strain to realize in the present an ideal, which can only be realized in the future. They alienate themselves from the current practice of the majority of the people and from the realities of the day, and show themselves adventurist in their actions [the gherao of 19th February].” (Excerpts from On Practice)

The surrender and betrayal by the ultra-Left should not, however, be allowed to weaken the JNU student movement. SFI calls upon the JNUSU to launch an immediate agitation against the JNU administration demanding the revocation of fines imposed upon the JNUSU President and Joint Secretary and implementation of the agreement signed with the administration, involving enhancement of MCM scholarship, UGC fellowship and other demands. SFI calls upon the student community to rally behind the JNUSU to defend its prestige and sanctity and successful implementation of the agreement between the JNUSU and the JNU administration, which the latter is trying to violate.

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

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.