Student Struggle Editorial Team
The impressive win of SFI-BAPSA-LDSF alliance in Central University of Gujarat (CUG) Students’ Council Election over ABVP, the largest cadre organization in campus, marks a proudest moment in the history of progressive student politics. Out of the five main seats where to election occurred, the Left- Ambedkarite alliance has won four while cornering ABVP to only one. The SFI candidate Chittaranjan Kumar has defeated the ABVP candidate Deepak in School of Languages, Literature and Cultural Studies while Prachi Lokhande from LDSF and Ashraf Diwan from BAPSA won the seats from School of International Studies and School of Social Science respectively. And the left supported independent candidate Vijayendra Kumar got elected from Library Science. Comrade Chittaranjan read the Preamble of the Constitution during the victory march and added:
“This is our sharp reply to the assault on Jamia, JNU and AMU. This is our promise to Indian campuses which are under attack from a majoritarian government and its fringe groups, this is our resistance to CAA and NRC, this is our humble solidarity to Shaheen Bagh, this is our shout back to the people who is vehemently trying to divide us based on religion and caste. Comrades, We will continue to fight till our last breath to save our Constitution”.
Comrade Chittaranjan, hailing from Gaya district of Bihar has joined CUG for BA German Course in 2017. His father Deokumar Paswan is an autorikshaw driver and mother Kalavati Devi is a farmer. “I come from such a background where unemployment is at the most visible and we all see that this government is a puppet body. Communism is, and will only be the last hope for us. The Modi government is interested only in building statues and temples rather than focusing on education and employment.” Being a Dalit, Chittaranjan has faced discrimination and segregation all throughout his life. He became part of the SFI CUG unit when it was formed in 2019 and has since been in the forefront of all struggles happened here. The recent student struggles across India on issues like CAA, assault on Jamia Milia University and JNU saw massive participation in the campus and really helped to form a progressive platform against the right-wing. Leaders like Chittaranjan, Prachi Ashraf and Vijayendra give hopes to many student movements across India when Public Education is under constant attack.
“Forming and engaging in a space of debate, discussion and dissent is more important in a university and that would be our primary concern” – says Prachi. Ashraf, being a theatre artist, uses his medium for expressing dissent and anger. Their optimism and collective resistance against the politics of violence is truly inspiring for everyone. ABVP, with its own muscle power and support from both the Central and State governments, is defeated in its own turf by the Left-Ambedkarite alliance! It should not skip the mind to commend the strenuous work carried out by CUG student community to oust fundamentalist forces from power. This cheerful victory is and will remain a sharp reply to the divisive agenda of right-wing to strangulate student movements across campuses.
“This is my last semester and I hope I will be back for my MA in CUG. Then I can work more with SFI…”
Chittaranjan’s words show that the victory is just the beginning and there’s a lot more to do, just like in many other part of the country. And this happy news is just a boost for everyone.
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