Why all the campuses must become like JNU

Why all the campuses must become like JNU

A rightist goon physically attacked JNUSU President, in contrast to expected cowardice of mob heroism as exhibited by ABVP more often than not; students nabbed him and treated him with tea before handing him over to Police. It reminds me of the 1977-78 JNU agitation against DTC fare hike. We kidnapped DTC buses and brought them in the down campus. 2-3 responsible people would guard the buses from being damaged by some agent provocateurs. Destruction of public property is a counter revolutionary act. We took the driver and conductors to the club-building canteen and entertained them with tea and cigarettes. I really wonder at the succes, it was such a small campus encompassed in 6 hostels with single seated rooms (permanent guests apart) and we carried a protracted successful protest at boat club. There were lathicharge, teargassing, detentions. Few including Ritu Jayrath(presently prof in JNU) got their legs/hands fractured. It was historic achievement in a sense. Hiked fare is normally not totally rolled back, DTC fare was. A friend from DU laughed at us that when we can travel in any DTC or DTC undertaking private buses throughout the Delhi in Rs 12.50 monthly pass, why were we foolishly wasting time at boat club? My instant reaction was, “हमारे लिए दुनिया की जनसंख्या एक से अधिक है. जेयनयूवाले महज मेसबिल के मुद्दे पर नहीं, इरान के शाह के खिलाफ भी प्रोटेस्ट करते हैं.” That is why it has been an eyesore to the all varieties of right wing extremism. That is why Venkaiya Naidu sermons to JNU students to concentrate on studies and not indulge in politics without a word for the politics of lumpenism by ABVP. The politicization is the soul of the democratic academic culture. I am Proud to be a first decade JNUIte, proud of my young comrades (including my former formal-informal students) carrying on the heroic struggle, proud of Kanhaiya, for his so incisive comprehension and clarity in his speech. He has to guard himself against iconization.  I am proud of and worried about my dear young friend Umar, a pleasant presence in our D’School intellectual Addebaji during his KMC days for daring to take stand on camera that in democracy every people have right to self-determination including Kashmir. That is why the BHU Sanghi Chancellor expelled students fighting against corruption in the university, saying that he would not allow BHU to be JNU. That is why JNU is JNU. That is why all the campuses must become like JNU and wish that the flames of rebellion of JNU must engulf the campuses of the world.