Should student politics be dominated by the agenda of political parties?

In the last few days we have witnessed intense debate on student politics and the role of political parties in the life of universities. The debate has been triggered by the recent incidents of violence that have taken place on a few campuses, including the shocking murder of a professor in a college in Ujjain.

Criminalization of students politics is a well known phenomenon, with the two principal political parties - Congress and BJP – leading the show. Following the recent incidents of violence, each of these parties is busy pointing the finger at the other This is part of their cynical, sectarian politics, which obscures what is the real root of the problem.

The truth is that student politics is a reflection of what is happening in society under the dominance of these two political parties. Each of these political parties tries to mobilise students for their own sectarian politics.

In practically every campus, the entire student politics revolves around the annual elections to the student union, where each student organization, supported by one or other political party, tries to woo students to vote for their candidate, promising them heaven if they get elected. This is no different from the way various political parties campaign during elections to the state assemblies or Lok Sabha. The stakes are high, and in the bid to win elections, nothing is left to chance. Kidnapping, threatening rival candidates and students, and violence including murder is part of the game. The method, tactics and the theory behind all this is the same as that of the big political parties. Only those with influence, money and muscle power can participate in the process. The majority of the students get marginalized, and are forced to become mute spectators or “voting cattle”, or else cheerleaders of this or that group.

Students and youth are one section of the population that is most influenced by the prevailing political climate, and in turn they influence the course of politics in the future. In the prevailing system students and youth with potential are groomed and trained to serve sectarian, self-serving interests. Instead of promoting healthy and open debate on the issues concerning students and the society, the political parties turn student politics into another playground to settle scores with their political rivals. Student politics becomes a game of oneupmanship.

The way elections are held on big campuses like Delhi University, which includes over 52 colleges, ensures that only parties of moneybags are equipped to participate and campaign. Since invariably nearly half the student body doesn't vote in the elections, it means that in the present election process a large number of students are disenfranchised.

Student bodies must be enabled to discuss and deal with problems and issues faced by the students. This includes issues like libraries, cultural and sports facilities, hostels and infrastructure, transport and safety, and interaction between the students and teachers. It also includes space to think creatively and exchange ideas, so that this section of the population is nurtured and enabled to serve the society at large. Historically, campuses and colleges are fertile grounds for germination of new ideas challenging the status quo. However, student politics cannot play this role as long as it is made subservient to the narrow, partisan interests of political parties representing the establishment.

More and more students are questioning this situation and coming out with their own vision of what the election process should be like. Students are putting up their own candidates without party backing, whom they know will represent their needs and aspirations, and will not do the bidding of some “high commands” of establishment parties. These candidates are raising the issues that concern the students, and instead of spending crores of rupees on posters and other wasteful expenditure, are engaging in discussion with the masses of students. This is a healthy trend. At the same time, it is also necessary for the college and university authorities to take the responsibility for providing adequate and equal opportunities for all the candidates to campaign and get their message across to the masses of students, and thereby make it unnecessary and unproductive for a candidate to spend huge amounts of money to campaign.