Left Unity Victory in JNU Celebrated across Country
AS soon as the news came of the Left Unity’s landslide victory over ABVP in the JNUSU elections, AISA and RYA held celebrations in universities and colleges across the country. At the same time, when news came of the ABVP attacks on the elected union office bearers and former office bearers and the JNU Vice Chancellor cracking down on students’ democratic rights under this pretext, a wave of outrage swept across various campuses and the students burnt effigies of the ABVP and the JNU VC. The Left Unity called for a countrywide protest in this matter on 19 September 2018.
The Eastern Champaran District unit of AISA held a victory march and meeting on 18 September. MJK College Nikita Kumari and other student leaders addressing the meeting said that students of colleges and universities must fight together to curb Manuvadi Hindutva and fascist forces. AISA and RYA activists in Jehanabad burnt the effigy of JNU Vice Chancellor and demanded immediate arrest of the ABVP goons responsible for the violence and removal of their protector the Vice Chancellor. A motorcycle rally was organized in Buxar District to celebrate the Left Unity victory at JNU.
Students in Darbhanga celebrated the victory of Left student organizations at Garhwal, Punjab, and JNU Central Universities on 18 September with a victory march in which AISF, AISA, SFI, AIDSO and others participated. Speakers at the victory march congratulated the Left Unity on its victories and also demanded an enquiry into the large scale irregularities in the conduct of the DUSU elections.
In Patna a protest march was organized by Left student organizations against the violence perpetrated by ABVP goons on JNUSU President N Sai Balaji, former President Geeta Kumari and other Left leaders and students. They demanded the removal of the JNU VC and action against the ABVP goons who first obstructed the counting of votes by violence against the Election Commission and later against Left leaders and students.
Victory marches and meetings were also held at Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Nalanda, Siwan, Madhubani, Beguserai and other places. Speakers at these meetings said that the victory at JNU shows that it is only the Left which can counter the conspiracy to make students and youth slaves of profit-earning corporate houses and followers of fascist-communal hate-spewing forces.
In Jharkhand, AISA and AIDSO organized a huge victory march in Ranchi on 17 September to celebrate the Left victory unity in the JNUSU elections. The rally started from Mahendra Singh Bhavan and reached Albert Ekka Chowk, raising spirited slogans all the way. Speaking at the meeting AISA leader Norin Akhtar and other leaders said that through the Left unity victory amidst Sanghi goondaism and violence the students have given a huge thumbs-down to the dirty politics being played in the country at present. This victory is the harbinger of true democracy in the country based on the ideals of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh. Victory marches and meetings were also held at Sariya in Giridih district. Speakers at the meeting said that this victory is a mandate against the Modi government’s policies which are destroying higher education.
A protest march against the violence by ABVP goons and the conspiracy of the JNU VC to collude with this violence and attempt to destroy JNU was held on 19 September at Bagodar in response to the Left organizations’ call to observe the day as National Protest Day. A protest march was also organized at Ranchi on 19 September. During the march ABVP goons attacked the protesters and injured several Left activists, two of them seriously. The two seriously injured students are being treated at RIMS. These attacks on the student community have filled students with anger against the ABVP and fascist forces which are protecting them.
