Parties ban student union polls to suppress new leaders: Kanhaiya

Former president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) Kanhaiya Kumar said political parties ban student unions from holding elections to prevent the rise of new leaders.

Kumar was speaking at an interaction with the media on Thursday. “In my state, Bihar, there are politicians who came to power through student unions. The same leaders banned student elections when they came to power. Political powers don’t want new leaders to rise,” he said.

Progressive thinkers are created in universities but their autonomy is under threat in the present government. 

Kumar, who is vocal about his views on free speech and dissent, expressed his disappointment over the youth. In spite of having over 65% of the population below the age of 30, the country has seen no ideological transformation, he said. “Youth today do not understand ideologies. Most of them do not know the difference between left, right and centre,” Kumar said.

“The problem with my generation is that they want one leader to look up to. I am not here as a contractor of change . There are some things I want to do and I am working on them. If you want to change something, you should do it yourself.”

Asked whether he will enter politics, Kanhaiya said elections were not the only means to engage with politics. “I want to become a teacher, educate youngsters and continue social movement through them,” he said.