SECOND OPINION 2005
Right wing clipped
Time and again, the political scene at Delhi University has been ridiculed for its tradition of "pretty face" politics. Famous (or infamous) for overtly glamourous campaign rallies, candidates - especially from the Congress-backed National Students Union of India - have often been targets of sarcasm by JNU. However, a more interesting chapter has opened after NSUI's recent win in the DUSU elections.
Third in a row, this victory brings a special flavour with it. Aside from posing for the ceremonious NSUI yearly photo, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has jumped into the DU scene to rectify his "shy baba" image. What could be better for the new Gandhi on the block than mingling with decked-out NSUI candidates? This just proves the point: the Congress's PR is better than the BJP's, which has failed to wake the ABVP from its slumber.
Clearly, none among the BJP's senior rung had time to think about its gen next leaders during the Chennai session. It is too much to expect from the party's top leaders, who have been busy defusing 'human bombs' - that is to say, leaders who have damaged their own party with their explosive statements. Thanks to their perpetual turmoil within, the BJP has lost its hold on the twenty somethings - a generation, which never saw or heard Deen Dayal Upadhyay or Veer Savarkar, and who do not know what the BJP actually stands for.
Moreover, the party has neither the funds nor the time to concentrate on the political and ideological growth of its university affiliates. On the other hand, the outcome of direct communication that other parties like the Congress and the Left Front have established with the youth, proves how important it is to keep students close to a party's ideology. Thus, the Congress's NSUI, the CPI(M)'s Students Federation of India and the now toddler on Delhi University's political scene, Om Prakash Chautala's Indian National Students' Organisation, have all benefited their parent organisations by supporting larger objectives - the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Professor Yashwantrao Kelkar's child, the ABVP, however, is the most neglected in the Capital when it comes to leader-student interaction or interaction with the parent party. Its leaders and volunteers in JNU and DU are in the throes of extreme ideological confusion. For example, they do not even know whether they should derive their philosophy from the BJP or the RSS. This reflects in their posters and speeches and, except for the Jinnah controversy, they seldom venture into debates. They would not even brave a discussion on Ram Mandir or Veer Savarkar, let alone issues like West Asia, World Bank, farmer-deaths, or the Kashmir issue - topics that their rivals have mastered.
Evidently, the most indisciplined student wing at JNU campus, the ABVP activists, frequently invite criticism for their tomfoolery like organising hostile demonstrations against SAR Geelani's visit to the JNU campus and coming "drunk" for election campaigning.
It is fair to say that Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, Mr Arun Jaitley and Mr Vijay Goel are few BJP members who began their political careers with the ABVP. Yet, what is their present contribution to student politics? They could probably take lessons from Ms Sonia Gandhi or now, even Rahul Gandhi on how to build a party from the grassroots.
Otherwise, it is likely that the next generation will find the ABVP, or even its parent party, consigned to history books edited by leaders from the Congress or the Left.
COPYRIGHT: THE PIONEER
Right wing clipped
Time and again, the political scene at Delhi University has been ridiculed for its tradition of "pretty face" politics. Famous (or infamous) for overtly glamourous campaign rallies, candidates - especially from the Congress-backed National Students Union of India - have often been targets of sarcasm by JNU. However, a more interesting chapter has opened after NSUI's recent win in the DUSU elections.
Third in a row, this victory brings a special flavour with it. Aside from posing for the ceremonious NSUI yearly photo, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has jumped into the DU scene to rectify his "shy baba" image. What could be better for the new Gandhi on the block than mingling with decked-out NSUI candidates? This just proves the point: the Congress's PR is better than the BJP's, which has failed to wake the ABVP from its slumber.
Clearly, none among the BJP's senior rung had time to think about its gen next leaders during the Chennai session. It is too much to expect from the party's top leaders, who have been busy defusing 'human bombs' - that is to say, leaders who have damaged their own party with their explosive statements. Thanks to their perpetual turmoil within, the BJP has lost its hold on the twenty somethings - a generation, which never saw or heard Deen Dayal Upadhyay or Veer Savarkar, and who do not know what the BJP actually stands for.
Moreover, the party has neither the funds nor the time to concentrate on the political and ideological growth of its university affiliates. On the other hand, the outcome of direct communication that other parties like the Congress and the Left Front have established with the youth, proves how important it is to keep students close to a party's ideology. Thus, the Congress's NSUI, the CPI(M)'s Students Federation of India and the now toddler on Delhi University's political scene, Om Prakash Chautala's Indian National Students' Organisation, have all benefited their parent organisations by supporting larger objectives - the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Professor Yashwantrao Kelkar's child, the ABVP, however, is the most neglected in the Capital when it comes to leader-student interaction or interaction with the parent party. Its leaders and volunteers in JNU and DU are in the throes of extreme ideological confusion. For example, they do not even know whether they should derive their philosophy from the BJP or the RSS. This reflects in their posters and speeches and, except for the Jinnah controversy, they seldom venture into debates. They would not even brave a discussion on Ram Mandir or Veer Savarkar, let alone issues like West Asia, World Bank, farmer-deaths, or the Kashmir issue - topics that their rivals have mastered.
Evidently, the most indisciplined student wing at JNU campus, the ABVP activists, frequently invite criticism for their tomfoolery like organising hostile demonstrations against SAR Geelani's visit to the JNU campus and coming "drunk" for election campaigning.
It is fair to say that Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, Mr Arun Jaitley and Mr Vijay Goel are few BJP members who began their political careers with the ABVP. Yet, what is their present contribution to student politics? They could probably take lessons from Ms Sonia Gandhi or now, even Rahul Gandhi on how to build a party from the grassroots.
Otherwise, it is likely that the next generation will find the ABVP, or even its parent party, consigned to history books edited by leaders from the Congress or the Left.
COPYRIGHT: THE PIONEER
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