“A University stands for humanism. For tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search of truth. It stands for the onward march of the human race towards ever-higher objectives. If the Universities discharge their duties adequately, then it is well with the Nation and the People.”
Jawaharlal Nehru.
Friends,
The Vice Chancellor of JNU in the last one year has institutionalized illegality and casteism in the University. He has spearheaded seat cuts, reversed reservations, destroyed policies related to social justice, and appointed incompetent individuals as faculty members. His latest attempts on installing a tank in JNU can only be seen as a cowardly attempt to divert the interest of media and students from these real burning issues faced by our campus. Having pointed that, it is important that we thoroughly expose the agenda behind his statement, and also the program which was conducted in JNU on 23rd July 2017.
Does the JNU VC really love our nation?
Our VC says that installation of a tank will help in inculcating love for the nation and army among the students of JNU. The allegation being that students of JNU are not patriots. We strongly believe that love for our country which is a “sovereign socialist secular democratic republic” can be practiced only when you help spreading the values which our constitution stands for. But this has never been the case with the JNU VC. He has deprived thousands of students the opportunity to study in JNU. Under his administration, hard-won policies of social justice have been squashed. Reservations have been destroyed. His conduct in no way resembles that of a person who has love for our country. He is a not a patriot. In fact, he represents values which are antithetical to everything our constitution stands for. On the contrary, it is the students of JNU who have always upheld socially inclusive policies, and have always advocated that such policies contribute to the project of nation-building by bringing the concerns of the most marginalized into focus. We do not need preaching on nationalism by Sanghi stooges like Jagadeesh Kumar. Political descendants of Savarkar are nobody to teach us nationalism. To be a bootlicker of British colonialism is not the legacy that we advocate. It is a brand of politics which the JNU VC has continuously endorsed and we politely request him to kindly keep that criminal legacy with himself. The students of JNU are the rightful inheritors of Bhagat Singh’s patriotic legacy. Rather than teaching us , the VC will do good for himself and the university if he tries to inculcate the values which the students of JNU have upheld since it’s inception.
VC’s Open Political Alignment with RSS:
Apart from the thoroughly stupid and idiotic comments made by the JNU VC on tanks, what is more worrisome is the blatant politicization of the event during which these comments were made. In an official program of the University , Rajiv Malhotra, a Hindutva ideologue openly said that he was “glad we are recapturing JNU”. Further, he said that “This is not only a victory of taking over Kargil in the external war, but also the victory of taking over JNU in the internal war,”. He was supported by Bakshi, who said that while the gadh (stronghold) of JNU was being captured, the other qilas (fortresses) of Jadavpur University and Hyderabad Central University remain to be captured as well. There is no pretense of neutrality in the statements made by these Hindutva spokespersons. They even appreciated the JNU VC for making this political victory possible. Now the worst part is that the JNU VC , sitting on the same dais, made absolutely no attempt to contest these remarks. Rather, he celebrated such remarks. His open encouragement and even celebration of such political interference in the University makes him completely unfit for running it.
Casteist remarks:
Apart from the many despicable comments made by the speakers in the event, downright casteist remarks were made by Rajiv Malhotra. He said that “Every student has to be a Kshatriya in this internal war” . It is most shameful that such casteist comments were made in an institution like JNU. Such appalling comments directly applaud caste based divisions of occupation. They only result in propagating the Manuvadi forms of cast division, while undermining centuries of long struggles waged by the oppressed against caste discrimination. Yet again, no opposition came from the side of our Vice Chancellor.
The VC and his political masters are no body to teach us about loving the army. This government has not even ensured basic facilities for army personnel. Individuals who complain about the terrible working conditions in the army have been punished by the ruling government. Genuine demands liking increasing pension for the retired soldiers have not been met by this government. Had it not been for the shoddy investigation of CBI, many of the top leaders of BJP would have been implicated in the Kargil coffin scam.
This episode it yet another reflection of the levels of nepotism to which Mr. Jagadeesh Kumar can stoop to. Yet again, he has gladly become an instrument by the RSS in spreading lies and hatred about the University. Yet again, he has proven that he is the worst thing to have happened for JNU. He must go. There are no two ways about it.
