The on going tussle between ABVP and AISA on the invitation of Umar Khalid to deliver a lecture on bastar tribes has been really violent. Students are being hurt, they are being beaten up, dragged by hair, attacked by stones.
On this issue, many of my friends have been saying that our “DU was never like this” “This is not DU ” “JNU is spreading” , but i plan to go against them and say our DU was always like this. It always had overexcited seeds forever ready to blossom and here are the consequences.
These seeds are sowed as early as May-June, as soon as the forms are out. Many expected candidates take admissions just to participate in election and some are so crazy that they fail to be a part of these elections. Shocking isn’t it? But yeah , this is the reality!
Talking about the student elections that happen in DU every year, are nothing but outrageous show of money.They are extremely misogynist, pro rich, scandalous and provoking a region based politics. Is this what one calls student politics? Agenda less, or even if they have an agenda, it has rotten years back.
The panels from the student wings of all big parties have no ideology but just one aim “TO COME IN POWER AND EXPLOIT IT”. The candidates are no other but the sons (‘at times’ daughter), nephews of already existing rich politicians whose main motive is to win the election and keep that achievement in their pocket and show it whenever needed (or not needed), or to become a recognized face so that when they stand in elections in their towns, they are already “experienced” in politics, which undoubtedly they become.
The Clause 6.6.1 of Lyngdoh committee states that “The maximum permitted expenditure per candidate shall be Rs 5000/-”is very strictly followed, only they replaced the word “candidate” with the “voter. They distribute notebooks, pens, t shirts, and even umbrella at times. Mentioning free food coupons, alcohol, trips to amusement parks wouldn’t be stating the obvious? Posters and pamphlets, are they counted in the expenditure too? Nah, not for them. They have different tactics to impress different groups, the north easterns, the biharis, the new and vulnerable, Muslim voters, differently abled. Every group is taken care of!
They ask ‘pretty’ girls to campaign for them, as they would attract the “new boys”. They stoop so low that they ask the students to vote for them on the pretext of friendship with the “pretty face”. Each group is in a competition who has the prettier face. The girl candidates are judged by how beautiful they are because already nobody is ready to be ordered by a female, and if they are ugly, “whooshhh, lady you have just lost your chance.” Nobody cares what your agenda is, how intelligent you are, only your appearance matters.
Now coming to the campaigners, they are paid on day to day basis. They are mostly not the members of DU and when they come here to campaign, they are already aware of “Dilli ki ladkiyan” (Thank you bollywood and punjabi rappers), so for them, they are in a fairyland, where passing lewd comments, touching them inappropriately is all acceptable, you know “dilli ki ladkiyan badi modern hai, yeh sab normal hai unke liye“. DU girls even if they deny are very well aware of this reality.
And in this pomp and show, the actual candidate is shadowed but why should we care, it’s just a university level election, they happen every year, what’s the big deal? Isn’t in with resonance with the new rule “SURVIVAL OF THE MIGHTIEST?” Then why are we blaming DU now, it hasn’t changed, this kind of actions were long overdue. We should blame ourselves, where were we when there were DUSU elections? Chilling at home probably, or partying somewhere! Why did we not question them, why were we indifferent to the money flowing at a higher speed than tap water these days, why were we mute spectators, why were we dormant volcanoes at the time when explosion was actually needed?
TheSvelteBird 