Jantar Mantar protest fuelled interest but money, muscle persist in DU politics: students

As students went to cast their votes on Friday, some said the large-scale protests at Jantar Mantar encouraged many to “raise their voices” and take an interest in student politics. However, pointing to thousands of pamphlets strewn on the roads and showing videos of male students harassing women, they said the DUSU elections remained largely a “money-muscle” game.

The elections are usually dominated by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the National Students’ Union of India. This year, the Left joint panel of the All India Students’ Association and the Students’ Federation of India, along with the AAP’s Association of Students for Alternative Politics, hope to carry the Jantar Mantar momentum into the elections.

The Left has campaigned on the claim that “progressive forces” have been at the forefront of struggles such as those at Jantar Mantar and the Satya Niketan protests and therefore have a head start. Many university students attended the Jantar Mantar protest for educational reforms.

Issues and voting

While some students said they preferred to vote based on issues, many said they voted for friends or people they knew.

Sejal Kapoor, a first-year master’s student, said she had voted, but the “throwing of pamphlets, harassment of women students and whistling” made students less interested in politics. She said, “After Jantar Mantar, many students were inspired to take a stand.”

On the other hand, Muskan, who said she goes by her first name and is also a master’s student, said although she did not attend the Jantar Mantar protest, she identified with some of the issues raised there. “I am trying to appear for exams like Staff Selection Commission. When I reached 30 seconds late, I wasn’t allowed to enter. This is ironic because they themselves cancel papers and spoil the entire system,” she said.

The students, however, said such issues had barely featured in the election campaign. They also discussed which organisations had participated in the protests and which had not, but said this was unlikely to influence the outcome of the elections.

A cleaner DUSU

A group of students from the School of Open Learning and the Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB) protested for a cleaner DUSU. Jyoti, an NCWEB student associated with the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, said, “Just a few minutes ago, a male student made lewd gestures at us. They throw pamphlets around despite the guidelines and look for reasons to touch women students. This is how the money-muscle game works here.”

Himanshi, a first-year student at Hansraj College, did not vote. “There is no point voting because nobody really raises our issues. Hostels remain shut; we have gaushalas (cowsheds) in college instead of hostels, but nobody speaks about this,” she said.