SFI SWEEPS HPU POLLS

Despite severe state repression, SFI makes an impressive victory in HPU.

The Students Federation of India once again has repeated history by winning the students union elections in Himachal Pradesh University . This has been probably the 20th time that they have been elected in all the four office bearers. But this year the victory has been unprecedented following the huge margins of victory for all the office bearers plus the Sfi could win 42 of the total 44 Departmental representatives. Vijender mehra the state secretary of SFI explains how and under what challenges they have combated the saffron brigade in the university and other colleges of the state.

SFI has once again swept the students Central Association (SCA) elections in H.P.U. University Shimla. This is unique in a sense that the SFI has won this election with historical record margin. These elections were held at a time when there was strong anti left campaign in our country by the unholy alliance of extreme left and extreme right ideologies. The ruling class student organizations tried to brush aside the validity of Marxism and left ideology. The RSS patronized ABVP initiated a debate in HPU campus on the future of left ideology and asked the student community to defeat SFI. Their logic to such an appeal was that the left has faced defeat in West Bengal legistative assembly elections and the left bastion and citadel has fallen hence the left has lost its relevance in India. The most intellectual student community of HPU not only rejected this logic but also gave serious blow to the proponents of this theory by making SFI victorious with ever highest margin in the history of last 32 years. This victory once again reflects the validity and importance of left ideology.

The results of this year’s SCA selections are nothing new but only repetition of the legacy which SFI inherits since last 32 years. The slogan of “study, struggle and sacrifice” has once again caught the imagination of students community. The record margin created during last year’s SCA election has been broken within one year. The margin of victory is so high that the BJP govt. supported ABVP could not be able to manage even votes equal to the margin gained by SFI. Not only the record margin has been created but the SFI has won ever highest number of departmental representatives (D.R.). SFI has won all the four seats of panel with comfortable margin. The student community has fully rejected the ABVP in campus. The SFI has won 42 departmental representatives out of 44 DR’s while ABVP could manage only 2 DR’s. Had the teachers appointed illegally by BJP govt. in Physical Education and Tourism departments not threatened the students in these departments, SFI would have won all the 44 department representatives and ABVP would have been completely swept away. SFI has managed clean sweep in Arts, Science, Management, Law and Education faculties The presidential candidate from SFI panel Puneet Dhaunta got elected by a historical margin of 536 votes. The Vice – President Lokender Kumar won by a margin of 673 votes. The Secretary candidate Hoshiyar Singh won by 676 votes. The Joint –Secretary Manju Thakur got elected by a margin of 585 votes.

Sr. No. Name of office Votes Polled SFI ABVP Margin

1. President 1923 1202 666 536

2.Vice President 1919 1255 582 673

3. Secretary 1918 1249 573 676

4. Joint Secretary 1918 1200 615 585

SFI has gained throughout state as compared to last year’s SCA elections. SFI’s biggest victory has been in Chief Minister’s Home Constituency of Hamirpur where BJP despite of unlashing state terror could not help its student wing to register victory. SFI has gained in 3 out of 6 colleges in Chief Minister’s home District. SFI has gained in the largest district of state i.e. Kangra as compared to last year. It has registered victory in DAV Kangra which is one of the most prestigious college of state. SFI has won for first time in Dehri college of district Kangra After many years SFI has once again gained in Mandi district by winning in Sarkaghat, Lambathach and Jogindernagar colleges. Likewise the organization has secured victory in Kullu college after a long span of time. The organization has once again registered victory in Chamba and Chuvari colleges. The results in Shimla are repetition of organization’s historical legacy in district. It has once again got victory in state’s one of the largest and only girls college RKMV. Likewise the organization has won elections in Theog, Rampur and H.P.U. Centre of Evening Studies Shimla, Sanjauli, Fagli, Kotshera, Rampur and Tungish colleges. SFI has once again restored the Bhatoli college in Una distt.

STATE SPONSORED TERROR:

The BJP Govt. tried its level best to ensure the victory of its student wing ABVP but the student community gave a serious blow to its heinous designs. Not only ABVP’s tally of winning seats came down as compared to last year but its votes share also fell down drastically. This year the performance of ABVP has been worst since last 11 years.

BJP Govt. tried to hijack these elections to ensure the victory of ABVP. The BJP Government unleashed state sponsored terror on opponent organizations and specially SFI. The Chief Minister himself was curious to win these elections and he left no stone unturned to make it sure. The situation in CM’s home constituency was virtually like emergency and authoritarianism. A numbers of frivolous cases were registered against leaders of SFI.. Chief Minister’s son and National President of Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha was in command to execute the whole episode. But this tactics was rejected by students community. The Principal of Hamirpur College went class to class asking the students to vote for ABVP.

The state Govt. and Chief Minister had made it an issue of prestige to win elections. They had passed instructions to BJP cadre that ABVP must register victory in H.P.U. Shimla and Hamirpur College at any cost. To ensure the victory of ABVP in H.P. University, Shimla, the ABVP on the instructions of BJP Government attacked some leaders of SFI on 8th August 2011. Just before this ABVP leaders pelted stones on SFI activists in which around 45 students got injured. On the Election Day the SFI leaders were attacked by ABVP leaders in Evening College. This kind of attacks were organized by ABVP in Sujanpur, Chakmoh, Rajpur, Kangra, Palampur, Dehri, Bhatoli, Mandi, Sarkaghat, Jogindernagar, Karsog, Solan, Nahan, Kullu, Hamirpur, Sanjauli, Kotshera etc. ABVP got free hand from govt. and police administration. It did everything to win the elections. There was preplanned murderous attack on SFI state secretary Vijender Mehra in which he got multiple injuries and his tooth was broken. Fake case was registered against 37 SFI activists of Kotshera and Evening College and they were put behind bars for 24 days. In majority of violence cases no FIR has been registered against ABVP. The repression and terror tactics of ABVP and state govt. is still continuing after elections. The ABVP leaders attacked victory rally of SFI on Election Day in HPU in which 14 students were injured and 2 out of them are still hospitalized and have been operated. Same kind of attacks were executed after elections by ABVP in Sanjauli, Kotshera ,Bhotoli and Evening college.

ISSUES IN THE ELECTIONS:-

The attacks by the BJP Government and ABVP leaders on SFI leaders were executed just because SFI is the main hurdle in their way of privatization and commercialization of education. The BJP Government is all set to destroy the education system. Around 24 private universities have been opened in small state of H.P. Perhaps this is highest number throughout country. The Dhumal Govt. is following the principle of “ Bring Money – Get Education”. Around 110 SCVT Private Technical Institutes and 79 Private B.Ed. Colleges have been opened in the state. The owner of majority of these colleges are either former ABVP leaders or BJP leaders. These colleges are looting the students. SFI has launched a vigorous and continuous struggle against this loot of students. Therefore SFI is the main enemy in the eyes of BJP govt. BJP Government fully knows that SFI is the main hurdle in their drive of commercialization of education, hence it wants to curb the democratic movement led by SFI.

H.P.U. Shimla is known for its academics and research standards. The university has got 31st position out of around 500 universities in country according to a survey conducted. This could become possible due to the hard work of students, employees and teachers. This is also a well known fact that the second highest number of NET and JRF qualifiers in country this year came from this university. Our university in this case falls next to JNU Delhi. The BJP government is continuously following its agenda of “Saffronisation, Corruption and Nepotism”. The recruitments in university are being done purely on the line of saffron ideology denying the merit. The university has become hub of corruption and nepotism. The autonomy of university is at stake. Commercialization of education has become common phenomena. Recently massive fee hike has been implemented in colleges. The vacant posts of teachers are either not being filled or if they are being filled that too on contractual basis. There is no hike in budget of colleges and university. The basic infrastructure is lacking. But the government is not putting serious efforts to save higher education rather private universities are mushrooming.

The SFI had made the commercialization of education an important agenda in the SCA election. The manifesto of election included all the above mentioned points. It highlighted the role of BJP Government in selling education and making it commodity. On the basis of it the student’s community has once again reposed its faith on SFI and has given a serious blow to the anti-student policies of BJP Government. The following were the issues which were included in election manifesto.

1- Stop commercialization and privatization of education.
2- Halt private universities.
3- Increase Budget of HPU and affiliated colleges.
4- Fill up the vacant posts of teaching and non teaching staff.
5- Provide proper infrastructure in colleges and HPU.
6- Restore autonomy of HPU.
7- Stop saffronisation of education.
8- Strengthen Executive Council, Academic council and Departmental councils.
9- Stop misusing student funds on unwanted matters.
10- Establish Bhagat Singh Chair in HPU.
11- Stop loot of students on the name of self financing and NRI seats.
12- Stop neo liberal policies.


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Vijender Mehra, state secretary, SFI.കടപ്പാട് : Pragoti