Monday, May 16, 2016

Debate on Social Justice and Unity in JNU: Those Calling for Unity should Introspect What is Missing

The recent Delhi High Court judgement which puts a stay on all the punishments recommended by HLEC (High level inquiry committee) has also put an abrupt end to the entire movement which started in the wake of 9 Feb event.  Given the Delhi High Court’s assurance of ‘conditional protection’, JNUSU’s indefinite hunger strike was withdrawn on 13th May evening while it entered 16th day. Now, there are some issues which need to be clarified and clearly reported to the student community. When the JNU administration imposed the punishments on the basis of HLEC recommendations, there was an all organization (AO) meeting which was called by JNUSU to discuss the mode of struggle and future course of action. Since no unanimity was arrived over choosing Hunger Strike as a mode of protest in the said AO meeting, it was decided that we first go to the student community and whether we sit on the hunger strike or not will be contingent upon the scale of mobilization around the issue in question. But unfortunately as it has become the norm in the recent past to bypass the dissenting voices, JNUSU called a secret meeting of some organizations, namely AISA, SFI, DSF and AISF in the name of AO meeting and took the decision to sit on the hunger strike. Irrespective of the political and ideological differences of the organisations every one of us are part of the ongoing struggle and even some of us sat on hunger strike as well.  Along with scrapping of the arbitrary and draconian HLEC, there were three major demands of the hunger strike: approval of 10 per cent relaxation for OBC candidates in qualifying exam, amendment in the recent changes in deprivation points while keeping the gender justice in mind and reduction in the weightage of viva voce marks from 30% to 10%. But JNUSU and the so called left organisations promptly decided to call off the hunger strike (and compromise the movement) as soon as the Delhi High Court provided some relief with terms and conditions as far as the HLEC was concerned while all the other issues of social and gender justice remained unaddressed which were also the part of the demands of the indefinite hunger strike. The end of political struggle on HLEC through the legal means directly translates as the weakening of any form of struggle on the issues of the social justice and gender justice as well.  


On 10th of May, at the protest demonstration outside the Academic Council meeting, when some students forcefully raised the issues of social justice and gender equity along with the issue of HLEC, they were accused of creating divisions and breaking the ‘unity’ of the movement by JNUSU and so called “big, left” organizations. Though the reality is that the unity of the collective struggle is weakened, broken and betrayed by these very set of people at least in two ways: First, they secretly went to court, without letting their fellow comrades know, to seek a legal solution (and in return they got a court order which put an end to the entire movement); Second, they created a false dichotomy between HLEC and the issues of social justice whereas there was no need to pitch one against the other. It has been reiterated time and again that a battle has to be fought on both legal and political front but it has always been part of a shared understanding among the student community that legal struggle will not prevail over political struggle. But, owing to the inexpedient decision by some the legal struggle has started eating up the political struggle. It should be noted that the judgement pronounced by Delhi High Court is based upon the undertakings and assurances submitted by the individuals, as well as on behalf of JNUSU that “JNUSU as well as its affiliated bodies would withdraw their pending strike and would not indulge in any strike or Dharna or agitation in future in connection with the issues before Court and/or till the legal proceedings pending as of date between the parties attain finality. They further assure this Court that discipline on the campus shall be maintained.”

It is amply clear from the above-mentioned “undertaking” that it functioned as a precondition for the judgment (which put the stay on the punishments of HLEC) and the decision to discontinue the hunger strike and barring the students from indulging in any kind of political activity except making peaceful representation to the concerned authorities follows from the undertakings submitted in the court. Now, the question arises that why and with whose consultation such undertaking was submitted (on behalf of the entire student community) which jeopardizes the entire movement? Who gave the authority to JNUSU to put the whole struggle at stake by submitting such an undertaking without consulting the larger student community or without convening a JNUSU council meeting or any such mechanism available to us?

Since both these above mentioned issues were listed in the demand of the long waged battle with the administration along with HLEC, why JNUSU adopted an adamant attitude towards discussing HLEC first? Or including the other demands were merely a gesture of tokenism on the part of JNUSU? Outside Academic Council meeting JNUTA President took a clear stand over the issue of HLEC, the approval of 10% relaxation for OBC in the qualifying exam and the amendment in the deprivation points system, but he refused to take a firm position on the issue of viva voce citing the frivolous reason that JNUTA is not a political organization like JNUSU. Keeping this in mind, we urge to JNUSU to explore and arrive at a common minimum shared understanding with JNUTA on the above-mentioned issues. While we are solemnly committed to fight against HLEC as well as for the cause of social justice, also demand from JNUSU to make every possible effort and take every possible action in order to get AC meeting reconvened as soon as possible as the future of many students belonging from deprived and backward sections who are appearing in JNU entrance exam is at stake.
  SFS, TNM, United OBC Forum
Birendra, Prashant, Saurabh, Vishal, Soumick, Vibhuti, Anubhuti, Jitendra, Talib, Harshita, Krishnan.