Delhi Committee of the CPI (M-L) New Democracy condemns the systematic attack by the RSS backed Modi Government on democratic movements led by students in institutions of higher learning in a bid to kill democratic traditions in these institutions, to impose the RSS’s version of what is ‘national’ on the people of India. On one hand, it is handing over India for corporate loot and invites corporate to loot India’s rich resources and cheap labour (“Make in India”, Startup India” etc.), commercialising the education and making it open for private players both Indian and foreign, making education less accessible by changing the provisions which help less privileged people to enter universities like JNU; at the same time it is trying to curb democratic culture and crush any voice of dissent while simultaneously trying to impose its regressive views as only correct and ‘nationalistic’ views and for that purpose it is targeting institutions like JNU.
It was seen clearly in the steps in Hyderabad Central University forced by the Human Resources Development Minister which resulted in taking the life of Rohitha Vemula, the attempt to ban Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle in IIT Chennai, and now an attack on students and on JNU alleging some pro Pakistan slogans in a doctored video. It is well known that all the left student organizations do not subscribe to these views and rather state that India belongs to its people and not to the exploiters. Shamefully again (Manu) Smriti Irani Intervened along with Rajnath Singh and the pliable VC allowed police to enter the campus and to arrest the President of the JNUSU. The entire campus has been reduced to a police camp – only precedent was Emergency during Indira regime. A case of ‘sedition’ has been lodged against students opposing the hanging of Afzal Guru and raising the issue of the right of J and K for self determination- all issues under debate for long in the country.
After Hyderabad Central University, this is another Vice Chancellor who bends his knees to political dictates. The VCs have played out a carefully scripted drama and hope to extinguish not only voices against capital punishment, in support of democratic rights of Kashmiris and equally vitally those who oppose commercialization of education, putting education under GATS, those who oppose pro corporate policies of the Government in the education sector and those who support the people of India in their just struggles.
The government is miserably failing to control economic situation of the country, manufacturing is down, growth is slowing, unemployment increasing, it is trying to divert the attention of the people from its failure and brazen kowtowing to imperial powers by forcing people to remain indulged in such issues.
Delhi Committee of the CPI (M-L) New Democracy strongly condemns this attitude of the government and demand that police be removed from JNU campus, arrested President of JNUSU Kanhaiya Kumar be released immediately, the FIR and charges of sedition be withdrawn, witch-hunting of students be stopped, and the University, faculty and students be left to deal with the entire question.
It calls upon the all democratic, patriotic people, students, common youth and working class to stand forth for the democratic rights of all sections and to fight unitedly against the policies of selling our country and its rich resources to imperialists by those who claim to be nationalists.