Red bastion JNU takes up the broom again

Politics, protests and campaigns are not new to the Jawaharlal Nehru University but ahead of the Delhi Assembly election on February 7, there seems to be visible hyper-activity of AAP sympathisers on the campus.

Several teachers and students of the university, which has been a red bastion, are busy gathering support for the new party which even gave a Lok Sabha ticket to a teacher, who has now retired.

Professor Kamal Chenoy Mitra, who joined the AAP after leaving nearly four-decade-old association with the Communist Party of India, along with a former professor and AAP leader Anand Kumar, is leading the AAP charge on the campus.

Kumar, who stood second in the last year’s Lok Sabha election from the North East Delhi constituency against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Manoj Tiwari, said, “The JNU has always embraced clean and people-centric politics.”

“The students on the campus have welcomed AAP since its inception,” he said.
“In the absence of strong Left-oriented politics in Delhi, the university students and teachers find the AAP more appropriate to support,” added Kumar.

Mitra, who has been very vocal about the achievements of the AAP during TV debates, said: “Yes, we have been campaigning for the AAP on the campus during elections. This time again, we are doing it.”

“Students, professors and other staff members are also giving their time to the AAP campaign in Delhi’s different Assembly constituencies. They are also contributing funds,” said Mitra.

“We will also continue the fund-raising campaign launched during the Lok Sabha elections, with the support of several former JNU office-bearers,” said Mitra, whose official house on the campus serves as a makeshift AAP office during polls.

Professor Anuradha Chenoy is helping Mitra with the campaign. AAP’s student wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti president Sant Prakash, said: “The support for the AAP is unprecedented.”

“We are benefiting from our previously launched ‘A day for the Nation’ campaign, as the committed volunteers on the campus are devoting their time to the campaign,” he said.

“We have begun our door-to-door campaigning. We are visiting all staff quarters and student hostels requesting monetary support for the party,” said Prakash.

“Recently, more than hundred students went to campaign for Arvind Kejriwal in his constituency as he is busy campaigning in different constituencies so we have planned to campaign for him,” added Prakash.

“Mostly, we are contributing to the online campaign of the party in which we keep promoting the party’s campaign punch line,” said Bijendra Jha, who has been previously aligned with a Left-wing student organisation.
DH News Service