95% students in JNU are nationalists, says VC Santishree Pandit | Exclusive

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been tense ever since clashes and stone-pelting broke out on the night of April 10 over Ram Navami celebrations inside the campus. Left-affiliated students’ groups have alleged that ABVP tried to ban meat from the menu, while the latter rebuffed the claim, saying the Left’s intention was only to disrupt celebrations of a Hindu festival. 

We reached out to JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit on the Ram Navami controversy and other issues. Speaking exclusively to Zee News, she said, “Some outsiders prevented the meat vendor for turning up on Ram Navami. We do not bar anyone from consuming anything. The mess is not in our hands.” 

JNU has often been in the news for political clashes and a soft stance on Kashmiri separatism by some Left-leaning groups. “Some 95 per cent of the students and faculty here are nationalists. Students want to study, but since many intellectuals come here too, they are critical of many issues and debate over them,” she said. 

As to why JNU is always surrounded in controversy, the V-C said, “The media loves JNU. We were the only university to find a place in QS rankings. But that will never be news.” 

On being asked about steps to prevent further clashes, she said, “JNU is changing. If the order of things is changed, some people will be inconvenienced. That’s exactly what’s happening here.” 

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“Only 5 per cent are fringe elements. I’ve been a student here myself. There used to be Left politics during my time too. But they weren’t anti-nationals. Politics has changed a lot now. There was both iftaar and havan on the ill-fated day. But then something triggered the clashes. The Proctor is probing the incident. Both sides have anyway filed police complaints,” she said.