Anti-Imperialist Porcession on 15th Aug, '07

On the 60th INDEPENDENCE DAY
To salute the martyrs of freedom struggle
& To carry forward their revolutionary legacy

JANAM Presents

• "Waqt Ki Aawaz"
• "Sangharsh Hi Hai Rasta"

DASTAK Presents "Dilli dooor hai…."

Jhelum Lawns
9.00 PM
15th August

followed by TORCH LIGHT PROCESSION against IMPERIALISM

Join in Large Numbers!!

SFI-AISF

Letter to the VC on Unjust Fines

10th August, 2007


To
The Vice Chancellor,
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi.

Sir,

This is in response to the decision of the Proctor’s office to commute the rustication of the 8 students to fines and retain the fines imposed upon the President and Joint Secretary of the JNUSU.

The JNUSU considers this as a violation of the agreement signed between the JNU administration and the JNUSU on 12th July, on the basis of which the students’ agitation was called off. According to the agreement the students who were rusticated were to be allowed registration by 14th August on the basis of appeals expressing regret over the 19th February incident. While the students concerned had submitted their appeals, their registration has been made conditional upon their paying fines. There was no mention of fines or any other such condition in the agreement. Such a decision by the administration, coming after the students concerned had submitted their appeals reflect a vindictive attitude towards students. This also amounts to a breach of trust. We do not recollect any instance in the recent history of JNU where the JNU administration has gone back on a commitment made in a written agreement. This would do enormous damage to the credibility of the JNU administration and vitiate the relations between the administration and the student community.

It is also shocking that the Proctor’s office has retained the fines imposed on the President and Joint Secretary of the JNUSU. The Chief Proctor has also made statements in the press justifying the fines on the basis that the JNUSU office-bearers have not submitted appeals expressing regret. You would recall that in the course of the dialogue with the administration during the agitation, the Joint Secretary and President of the JNUSU had categorically refused to submit any such appeal. Therefore this never found any mention in the agreement. To insist upon this, after an agreement has been reached is not only unethical on the part of the administration, but also reflects a mindset which seeks to browbeat the JNUSU office-bearers with whom the administration has signed an agreement. This is nothing but victimization of the JNUSU office-bearers for having fought for the rights of the students.

Besides, the charge leveled against the JNUSU office-bearers of “not being able to control the situation” during the 19th February incident is dubious, to say the least, since the administration itself can be held guilty on the same basis. The JNUSU Council as well as the UGBM, which is the highest decision making body of the student community, have already expressed regret over the 19th February incident which has been earlier communicated to you by the JNUSU office-bearers. The President and Joint Secretary of the JNUSU cannot and would not submit any individual appeal since there is no such mandate from the student community.

In the backdrop of the agreement reached with the administration on 12th July, the JNUSU was looking forward to a good beginning to the monsoon semester, particularly when hundreds of new students have joined the university. The departure of the administration from that agreement has deeply pained us and is threatening to vitiate the campus atmosphere. Therefore, we call upon you as the head of the institution to immediately intervene in the matter to resolve the issue by reversing the recent Proctorial decision. You would appreciate that the JNUSU would be left with no other option but to launch another agitation in case the unjust decision is pursued.

Regards,

Sd/- Dhananjay, President, JNUSU.

SFI Release on Statement by Left Parties on the Nuclear Agreement with US

Comrades,

We have brought out the statement of the 4 Left Parties on the Indo-US Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, which is in 3 pages (A3 size) and is dated 9th Aug, '07.

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.

JNUSU-SIS pamphlet for Public Meeting dated 9th Aug '07

Date: 09/08/07

Friends,

It has been two years since the UPA government signed the Civilian Nuclear Agreement with the US, which has been celebrated in the foreign policy circles as something ‘historic’ in the relations between the countries. But ever since, there have innumerable rounds of negotiations by both the countries. This is precisely due to the shifting of goal posts from the side of US on many crucial points of the agreement, especially in the aftermath of the ratification in the US Congress.

The Henry Hyde Act which is a domestic law of the US that was put in place with regard to this agreement attempting to make the country kowtow the strategic interests of the US. Thus, the agreement cannot be seen in isolation as it also forms an intrinsic part of the Military Framework agreement signed with the US. These attempts by the US to make India its strategic partner also severely compromise the commitment by the UPA government for an independent Foreign Policy. This is best illustrated by the deviations in the foreign policy with India voting twice against Iran in the IAEA. The Hyde Act therefore extends beyond the nuclear realm and tries to coerce India in making her foreign policy congruent to US’ strategic interests. This would also place strong curbs on India’s own strategic programme thereby making her accept the discriminatory Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. More than that, by joining a US-led unequal world order, it would also relegate India’s traditional commitment to nuclear disarmament.

Overall, the agreement goes beyond the assurances given by the Prime Minister in the Parliament in 2006 and compromises on India’s own self-reliance. The US’ imperialist ambitions have already been achieved in Afghanistan and Iraq and through this agreement, there are serious attempts to get India on board. The Left and the progressive sections of the country have always unitedly struggled against any attempts by successive governments to fall in line with the imperialistic diktats of the US. Hence, it is imperative that we continue to carry forward that legacy. To discuss the details of the nuclear agreement and its wider implications for India’s foreign policy interests, JNUSU-SIS appeals to all students to attend the public meeting tonight at 9.30 pm in large numbers.

Public Meeting

INDO-US NUCLEAR DEAL AND 123 AGREEMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA AND BEYOND

Prabir Purkayastha, Delhi Science Forum
Siddharth Varadarajan, The Hindu
Seema Mustafa, Asian Age

09/08/07 (Tonight) - 9.30 pm - Periyar Mess

Sd/- P.K.Anand, Tiainla, C.Lalengkima – Councillors, JNUSU-SIS.

University Strike Poster

Join JNUSU's

UNIVERSITY STRIKE

against AN UNDEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATION’S DECISION TO IMPOSE FINES ON 10 STUDENTS

August 9, 2007 (Thursday)

SFI-AISF

SFI-AISF Pamphlet dated 8th Aug, 07

Unite against the authoritarian administration!
Administration can not violate its own written agreement!
Revoke the fines on students, the JNUSU President and Jt. Secy!

8th August 2007

Friends,

After more than 3 weeks of its agreement with the JNUSU, the administration has finally taken a decision on the question of punishment of 11 students in the 19th February incident. On the basis of written appeals given to the administration all the 8 students who were rusticated have been allowed to register in the university after they pay a fine (which is Rs 1000 for 6 students and Rs 2000 for the other two). The JNUSU Gen Secretary’s fine has been waived off. The fines on the JNUSU President and Jt Secretary continue to remain.

The 19th February Incident and Maturity of the student movement of JNU

We would like to revisit the 19th February incident for the benefit of new students who have joined the university this year. On 19th February, a protest demonstration was called by the JNUSU against the tearing off of some posters supporting the workers’ movement. This demonstration was, however, unilaterally turned into a gherao of the Registrar by the ultra-left forces. In no democratic forum of the students was it ever decided that the demonstration would be turned into a gherao but the adventurism of the ultra-left organizations on campus led to an ugly turn of events with acts like tying a rope around his car, deflating its tyres, smearing black paint on it, climbing on the top of the car were indulged in by their activists. This was a setback to the democratic traditions of the JNU student movement. The JNU administration, using this incident as a pretext, suspended 10 students including three office-bearers of the JNUSU.

However, reflecting its political maturity and high consciousness level of the student community, the JNU student movement itself embarked upon a corrective path after the incident. The JNUSU council passed a resolution (which was moved by the SFI-AISF representatives) expressing regret over an incident which took place in an action led by it. The resolution categorically said that the incident of 19th February was an aberration to the democratic traditions which the JNU student movement has always been known for. This resolution was later endorsed with an overwhelming majority in the UGBM held on the 8th March. The same UGBM also took the position that based on the expression of regret individually by all the suspended students, their suspensions should be withdrawn and that any further punishments to these students would be resisted by the students’ union. On the basis of the JNUSU resolution and individual regret letters submitted by all the students including the 3 JNUSU office-bearers their suspensions were withdrawn in the month of March.

A Successful agitation led by the JNUSU

However acting in a vindictive manner, the administration once again issued show cause notices
to 11 students in the midst of summer vacations. This was shortly followed by rustication of 8
students and imposition of fines on the JNUSU President, Gen Secy and Jt Secy. It was clear that the administration’s real agenda was to suppress and weaken the entire student movement of this campus using the 19th February incident as a pretext. The student community waged a
spirited struggle against this crackdown on our student movement. After a historic agitation of 19 days which included a 12 day long indefinite hunger strike under the leadership of the JNUSU President, Com. Dhananjay along with 4 other students including the JNUSU Vice President and an 8 day long hunger Strike by the SIS Councillor P K Anand, the administration was forced to enter into an agreement with the JNUSU. The agreement said that the administration would enable all the rusticated students to take registration into the university by the 14th of August. The administration was also forced to accept several important demands in the JNUSU’s Charter. These included increasing the amount of MCM for BA/MA students to Rs 1500 and raising the income cap for MCM to Rs 1 lakh per annum, forwarding the demand of implementing the UGC scholarships for M.Phil/Ph.D students from July 2005 to the UGC, allowing the Aleemeyat/Fazeelat certificates for admissions to B.A, setting up a committee to ensure workers’ right in the campus, strengthening of the Equal Opportunity Office and initiating the process of bringing Gender violence under the purview of GSCASH.

Breach of Agreement by the administration and the struggle ahead

It is in this context that we should look at the present response of the administration. The SFI-AISF strongly condemns the imposition of fines instead of rustications by the administration. Imposition of fines in place of rustications was not a part of the JNUSU’s agreement with the administration. Once the rusticated students have submitted their appeals to the administration, any other conditionality for giving them registration is completely unacceptable to the student community. The present act of the administration is thus a clear violation of the spirit of its agreement with the JNUSU.

The administration has also failed to understand that the JNUSU President and Jt Secretary would not tender any kind of regret to the administration. In an unfortunate manner the JNUSU Gen Secy has given his regret to the administration, which was not even asked for in the first place. This is all the more condemnable because it was done without even informing the student community or the JNUSU Council members. This has only weakened student unity and encouraged the administration to continue with its anti-student and high handed behaviour. However, the SFI-AISF would like to warn this administration against taking the other office-bearers and the other students on whom fines have been imposed for granted in this manner. We strongly demand from the administration that it must revoke all the fines imposed upon the students and the JNUSU President and Jt Secretary without any further conditionality.

We also condemn the text and tenor of the letter which has been given to the concerned students by the Chief Proctor’s office. It says that the punishments have been revoked because of the “good conduct” of these students and also carries a warning of such action in the future. We would like to remind the JNU administration that it is not some abstract good conduct but a valiant struggle of the student movement which has forced it to take back these unjust punishments. The JNU student movement has always fought against such crackdowns on democratic voices and movements throughout the country and we would like to warn the administration that any such move would be given a thorough defeat in the coming days as well. It was the united and uncompromising fight by the students of this campus which forced this administration to take back its vindictive act of rustications of individual students and come to an agreement with the JNUSU. If the Vice Chancellor and his team are of the view that they can get away by breaching their own written agreement then they would have to face the music. The issue today is not whether one should pay a fine of Rs 1000 or 2000. The more important issue is whether the student movement of JNU would allow some dictatorial and adamant administrators sitting in the Pink Palace to violate an agreement which has been achieved after an arduous struggle led by our comrades who sat on a 12 day long hunger strike in an extremely hostile weather conditions and hundreds of other students who worked tirelessly for 19 days against this attack on our democratic rights. The student community must rise up against this breach of faith by the administration against its own written agreement. The need of the hour is to wage an even more militant and radical struggle to teach a final lesson to this administration. The SFI-AISF would appeal to all the students of this campus to rally behind the JNUSU against this high handedness and authoritarian behaviour of the administration.

The SFI-AISF would appeal to the student community to join tonight’s protest march called by the JNUSU in large numbers and observe a total strike in the university tomorrow. A clear signal must be sent that the students of this campus are not going to let any administration rest in peace and comfort which has lost even the minimum moral obligation of respecting its own agreement with the JNUSU.

JOIN JNUSU's Protest March

against The Imposition Of Unjust Fines On Rusticated Students And JNUSU President and Joint Secretary.

Ganga Dhaba 9 pm (tonight)

UNIVERSITY STRIKE 9TH AUGUST, 2007 (Thursday).

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

Sd/- Sanjay Kumar, AISF-JNU.