Months after the Ramjas college incident rattled the entire University, it will now set the tone for this year's Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) elections. The Student wings of all the major political parties — that have already been milking using the incident as a protest plank — are set to draw their manifestos revolving around the incident. The ABVP, which drew criticism for 'instigating' the clashes in Ramjas, will float "nationalism" as its main campaign theme.
"There will be no compromise with our nationalist ideology. We can never allow anti-national elements or slogans at our campus," said Saket Bahuguna, National media convener, ABVP.
"ABVP will try to polarise students on the Ramjas issue, but we need to make students aware of the misinformation that was fed to them.
Delhi police also informed the court recently that the footage of the alleged anti-national slogans were doctored," said Kawalpreet Kaur, President, AISA, Delhi. The student wing of Congress — National Students Union of India (NSUI) — which is set to give a cut-throat competition to ABVP, will also tow the Ramjas line.
"We will soon start a campaign titled 'Take back DU' wherein we will ask DU students to help us fight ABVP's hooliganism," said Akshay Lakra, President, NSUI, Delhi.
Meanwhile, Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, the student-wing of the Aam Aadmi Party will once again not contest in the DUSU polls.
"We may contest in college-level elections. We can't be a part of DUSU polls knowing that it is contested on money, muscle power," said Anmol Panwar, Spokesperson, CYSS.
In the past
In February, violent clashes broke out in Ramjas College when several students with left-backed AISA and RSS-backed ABVP attacked each other.
The clashes followed the cancellation of an invitation to JNU student leaders Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid at a seminar after ABVP objected.
