VP Sanu
The 16th All India conference of SFI was held in Shimla from October 30 to November 2, 2018. As per the constitution of SFI, the All India conference, which is the highest decision-making body of the organisation, is conducted every three years. But, this time, the All India Conference had to be delayed as the entire world was devastated by the pandemic.
For the past four years, organising the student movement was challenging but inspiring at the same time. We had to face the pandemic, state repression, increased neoliberal activities worldwide, and communal riots. But we are proud to say, SFI did not cease its organisational responsibilities even once during this period. The hard times made us more robust, advanced and creative.
During the pandemic, the Indian education system was shut down almost entirely for two years. Many might have thought SFI would completely be wiped out in this newly emerged situation. But we were the most active during those days. In West Bengal, our comrades were able to start the “Red volunteer Army “to distribute food and medicine to the citizens. Haryana and Maharashtra state committees of SFI ensured the parallel classes for the students from marginalised sections of the society. The photos of the SFI Delhi State Secretary transporting Oxygen cylinders attracted national media. Comrades from Kerala ensured that none of the students was left without devices to access the online classes. In that way, we could resist the pandemic as a student organisation. Also, the non-conventional methods of mobilising and ensuring active student participation have made it clear that SFI is the most prominent student organisation in this country.
The education system was clearly under attack by the Union government. By introducing the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) the Union government aimed at the commercialisation and communalisation of education system. Though the campuses were closed, we successfully created campaigns against the NEP and its repercussions. Even when a mass mobilisation was not possible, SFI conducted local level, decentralised campaigns across the country. SFI called for protests against each and every anti-student policy. Tamil Nadu witnessed a massive movement against the NEET exam, initiated by SFI and later taken up by the common masses. In Andhra Pradesh, SFI’s protest against the merging of schools received mass acceptance among parents across the state. We fought tooth and nail against every injustice.
SFI conducted its Gujarat state conference after 33 years a few days ago. Instead of conducting a conference with a few students and going down, we waited for almost six years, building the organisation across cities and villages in Gujarat. We built the organisation in Gujrat step by step, brick by brick. The organisation in Gujarat has grown in such a manner that our comrades posed a ‘threat’ to the right wingers and they were kidnapped by right-wing goons several times. Student movement in Jammu and Kashmir was also able to grow exponentially. We are delighted to share that, now we have very active cadres across J&K despite the continuing state repression, particularly after abrogation of Article 370.
In 2019, when the last regular student union elections were held in significant campuses across the country, SFI bagged key positions everywhere including JNU, HCU, Pondicherry University, Presidency University, Jadavpur University, TISS Mumbai, TISS Hyderabad and Gujrat Central University. In all these universities, comrades who upheld the flag of Independence, Democracy and Socialism, became the union office bearers. In Kerala, all the universities and almost all College Unions and School Parliaments are led by SFI comrades. In Rajasthan, SFI won union elections in three universities. Across the country, we built the movement organisationally and electorally.
Whether it be the Anti-CAA-NRC movement or the farmers’ protest, SFI was on the ground with the common mass fighting for their rights. We continue to connect with the pulse of the common citizens of this country against the anti-people Modi regime. During this fight, since the last all India conference, we lost two of our brave comrades- comrade Abhimanyu from Alappuzha in Kerala who was stabbed to death by RSS extremists and comrade Dheeraj from Idukki Government Engineering college, Kerala, who was murdered by NSUI-Youth Congress Hooligans. We will ensure that the sacrifice of our martyrs will not go in vain. The conference will be the venue where we take inspiration from our martyr comrades and intensify our struggles for the coming days to achieve the dreams of those beloved fighters.
All these challenges we faced throughout these four years made us a sharper and stronger student organisation, which can lead the student movement in the coming years. The conference, which is being held in Hyderabad from 13-16th December 2022, will amplify this development, and also prepare the movement to expand and augment uncompromising struggles against the anti-people, anti-student regime in India.
VP Sanu is All India President of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI).
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