Justice K Chandru Recalls His Time As An SFI Activist
Student Struggle Editorial Team
Justice K Chandru began his inaugural address at the 17th All India Conference of the Students Federation of India (SFI) on a nostalgic note. Reminiscing fondly, Chandru spoke about the experience of attending the SFI’s 1970 Conference as a delegate from Tamil Nadu. He expressed how delighted he was to have been associated with the organisation from its very beginning — starting with the meeting held at Calcutta in 1969, leading to the formation of the SFI, and to participate in the historic first conference of the organisation convened under the leadership of stalwarts EMS Namboodirippad, AK Gopalan and P Sundarayya, He also recalled his experiences with other SFI comrades of the time like Biman Basu, Manik Sarkar, and MA Baby.
Stressing upon the role played by student movements in creating the nation’s future political leadership, Chandru spoke of how his association with the organisation streamlined his revolutionary career as a lawyer and later as Judge at Madras High Court. He spoke of the SFI’s role in moulding young minds, while touching upon the numerous other ways in which it contributes to the nation.
He emphasised on the significance of the SFI’s slogans like ‘Education and Employment’, and ‘Unity of and for All’, especially in the current political scenario. For the Justice, the SFI’s growing presence and strength in educational institutes across India was a beacon of hope, and a sign of social change and the attainment of our shared goals. He implored that discussions on employment and education should not be divorced from concerns like federalism, state autonomy, fiscal power, privatisation, globalisation, liberalisation, disinvestment, increasing income inequality, and monopolisation, universalisation of fair education.
On learning from history, Chandru recalled the Emergency, and the role of the Left, including that of SFI’s, in resisting it. He drew attention to the ‘undeclared Emergency’ in India today, the growth of the extreme right, the spread of communalism in the country exemplified by a range of incidents – the Babri Masjid demolition to today’s bulldozing, the Hijab Row, the whitewashing of the Sangh’s terrors, the saffronisation of the law, judiciary, and of education – the exclusionary policies of the BJP-led state, attacks on the religious rights of minorities, secularism and the federal nature of India, etc.
Chandru also spoke about the ramifications of the UPA’s initial neoliberal policies that promoted across-sector privatisation, now exacerbated by widespread disinvestment and leading to rampant unemployment in the country. He also spoke of the immense threat to Indian federalism today, exposed in the form of the horse-trading of elected representatives and the consequent destabilisation of democratically elected state governments or through appointment of governors and other bureaucrats who help further the agenda of the RSS in different states.
Noting that staying away from politics in this current scenario is a luxury one cannot afford given its cost is democracy itself, Chandru implored that one must uphold the slogan of unity and work towards protecting the Indian Constitution from the saffron brigade and the constitutional rights of every citizen, irrespective of religion. He concluded the inaugural speech by wishing the 17th All India Conference of SFI all success.
Watch Justice K Chandru’s inaugural lecture at the 17th All India Conference of the SFI here.
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