Other States - Himachal Pradesh   

Ploy to help NSUI, say student leaders

Kanwar Yogendra

Move to ban student union elections in Himachal University and colleges

SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh University authorities are apparently planning to ban the student union elections in the university and colleges. The move is reportedly due to the constant drubbing being received by the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the Congress-affiliated students union.

The NSUI has failed to win even once the Students' Central Association (SCA) elections in the history of the Himachal Pradesh University.

"To escape discomfiture, the State Government had twice banned the elections and had snatched the democratic right of students," said Tikender Panwar, a former SCA president from the Students Federation of India (SFI). "Elections on the campus lead to violence" is the one and only plea the government is taking every time to prohibit the students to have an elected students' body, he said.

The SFI, which had been winning majority of student union elections in the university, is blamed for vitiating the academic atmosphere by the NSUI and Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP), BJP's student wing, said Rakesh Singha, the first president of the SCA and now a Central Committee member of CPI (M). "On the other hand we attract the brightest students and our panels are full of University's academic toppers", he claimed.

Except for a few times when the ABVP had scored some victories it was the SFI and its earlier ally, the AISF, which had won the majority of student union elections in Himachal University. "No one can stop us even this time", said a charged group of girl activists of SFI. The State unit of SFI has charged that the Government had recently transferred some teachers in affiliated colleges because they were considered sympathizers of the Left movement. "By hook or crook the government wants the NSUI to sail through this time in the university and other colleges in the Capital," said some SFI activists.

The NSUI is slyly running this campaign and headlines like, "bloody struggles before elections in the University", "all violence is due to elections", are appearing in local dailies, blamed the SFI.

Meanwhile, the State Governor and Chancellor of Himachal University, V.S. Kokje, had called a meeting of district and university officials to maintain conducive atmosphere on the campus and check student violence in the varsity.

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Ploy to help NSUI, say student leaders

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