Student representatives and unions, if working correctly, can provide a massive platform for young people to express their opinions. All over the world, student unions act as active pressure groups for the government. They can hold the government accountable, as well as give a voice to young people in gerontocracies like India. Many student leaders do end up in mainstream electoral politics, where they can either do wonders for young people or utterly fail them.
Student representatives and unions, if working correctly, can provide a massive platform for young people to express their opinions. All over the world, student unions act as active pressure groups for the government. They can hold the government accountable, as well as give a voice to young people in gerontocracies like India. Many student leaders do end up in mainstream electoral politics, where they can either do wonders for young people or utterly fail them.
Premier universities in India like Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jadavpur University, and Presidency University, amongst others, are known for their robust student politics along with their academics. There are numerous party-backed unions, as well as independent bodies, which tackle student issues in college campuses and influence the ideological character of the universities. Some of the most prominent unions include the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), All India Students’ Association (AISA), backed by the Congress, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and the Left respectively. New groups like Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS, supported by the Aam Aadmi Party), and independent groups like Collective and Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA) are also emerging as active players in Indian university politics.
Student politics in India are not at all a new phenomenon. The youth was the backbone of the Indian struggle for independence from European colonial powers.
- During the campaign launched by Mahatma Gandhi against the Rowlatt Act in 1919, students made up a considerable part of the protests.
- During the Civil Disobedience movement, Gandhi urged students to boycott schools and colleges as a part of their dissent against the oppressive British regime. They promptly left their educational institutions and were in the streets along with national leaders in a show of solidarity for the cause.
- The first All India Students Conference was held in 1920, giving rise to the formation of India’s first student organization, the All India Students Federation (AISF), in 1936.
- Students were also at the forefront of the Swadeshi movement, which boycotted British goods for Indian products. The youth leaders organized mass rallies and protests during the Quit India movement, 1942. Many student leaders were imprisoned, and others were martyred as part of the freedom struggle.
After Independence, although universities remained politically charged spaces, the phenomenon of a united cause was practically nonexistent. Earlier, student groups, albeit having different approaches, were united in the face of imperialism. After 1947, student organizations had no common cause to work towards and thus started becoming fragmented. This kind of division included even the leftist organizations like AISF, which saw splits between communist hardliners and the Gandhian-socialists.
An ideological shift in the student movement could be seen somewhere around the 70s. Three wars (those of 1962, 1965, and 1971), along with other factors, had weakened India’s economy. Combined with the general unhappiness caused by the Congress government turning increasingly socialist, the political atmosphere at the time was seething with discontent.
A wave of movements against the government started around 1974, which included workers’ strikes (Railway workers’ strike of ’74) and protests led by students. Popularly known as the “Bihar and Gujarat movements,” the protests in these two states were against rising inflation, unemployment, corruption, and general misrule of the government machinery. In Bihar, veteran leader Jayaprakash Narayan got involved and called for a “Total Revolution.” An interesting by-product of the rise of anti-Congress politics and the subsequent imposition of the Emergency was the rise in the influence of the RSS, and its youth wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. ABVP carefully separated its image from being a rightwing or Hindu nationalist party but instead portrayed itself as a viable ideological and practical opposition to the Congress. The 1974 protests also had student leaders who eventually became powerful figures in mainstream politics like Arun Jaitley, Lalu Prasad Yadav, and Ram Vilas Paswan.
In 1973, ABVP bagged all four seats in the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU). Arun Jaitley himself was the union Vice-President, then the President, and was arrested because of his involvement in anti-establishment demonstrations. After being arrested and spending time in jail with other anti-Congress stalwarts, he emerged as a hardcore political activist under the wing of the BJP. Jaitley went on to serve as the Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister from 2014 to 2019. He had previously held the portfolios of Defence, Commerce and Industry, as well as Law and Justice in the Vajpayee government and Narendra Modi government respectively. He had also been the Leader of Opposition from 2009 to 2014.
As the political scenario of the country changed after the early 2000s, right-wing groups slowly influenced even Left strongholds across the country like JNU, Jadavpur, and Presidency University, while DU has had ABVP in positions of power for several years now.
Here comes a vital question. Are student politics only a reflection of national or state-level politics, or can they offer any real resistance to the government?
Typically, the student wings of the ruling party in the Centre or State receive a lot more funds and resources than the student wings of the party in the Opposition. The weakening of the Left front in India has also led to the weak positions of groups like AISA and SFI. While SFI still thrives in universities like Presidency and JNU, its position in colleges like DU is virtually non-existent, seen mostly around protests or activist events. The lack of funds, and also of popular support, can be interpreted as: student politics reflect national politics. However, the answer is not that linear or straightforward.
Campuses across the country have been a witness to the increasing demonization of student leaders and groups whose politics run contrary to those of the ruling party. The labels of “deshdrohi” and “anti-national” are becoming very common for students who do not support the government. Clashes between unions, instead of being seen as the results of differences of opinion or ideology, are usually portrayed as differences between “nationalist” and “treasonous” perspectives. When opposing groups are treated as traitors to the country, their political stand is immediately deemed unworthy of being heard. While engaging with an opposing opinion is difficult, dismissing them is very easy. This invalidation tactic weakens resistance and dissent against the government or even the current union representatives of the college/university.
Student politics are often labeled as violent, dirty, and sometimes even worse than mainstream politics. It affects academics, and as it becomes increasingly libelous, it can affect the prospects of a student. No mainstream company would want to employ someone whose face is plastered across newspapers and TV screens, the person described as “anti-national.”
Nevertheless, another point must be raised here: what happens in colleges and universities without student unions?
In India, many private universities and engineering colleges do not have provisions for union elections and, especially, any politically-backed student groups on campus. The lack of student representatives may pose a problem between the students and the college administration, as students might find themselves voiceless in the face of administrative norms or policies that are against their interests. In these universities, the tuition fee is raised arbitrarily by the administration, and without unions, students cannot actively protest against the move. Agitation over fee structures is seen frequently in universities like DU and JNU, with student bodies urging to keep the fee low and, therefore, the colleges accessible to all.
However, many students welcome the absence of election-related disturbances. As seen in politically volatile universities across India, election season can bring a myriad of problems. Campaigning can become a disturbance to lectures, and inter-union violence has always been a problem in university politics. However, the complete lack of unions can lead to students becoming so-called “apolitical,” or even unaware of the political scenario of the country. Student solidarity is a vital part of movements all around the world.
2019 was a significant year in student activism.
India was shaken by one of the most controversial policy measures of the government: the Citizenship Amendment Act. The students of several colleges across the country, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University, Aligarh Muslim University, and JNU rose in protest against the Act. After the violence and police brutality at Jamia Millia Islamia and AMU, the protests grew, and even universities not known for being politically active such as IITs, and IIMs also started showing solidarity. The movement has grown, with over a hundred colleges protesting across India despite measures by the government.
Student protestors are running Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement while being at the receiving end of government repression and police violence. Facing tear gas and rubber bullets, Hong Kong’s students have turned universities into fortresses and are showing incredible levels of support towards each other. Hong Kong’s movement has been going on for months, with growing media propaganda from both the Chinese and the Western sides.
In Chile, students have been the heart of dissent since the fall of the Pinochet dictatorship. Secondary school students are leading ongoing protests about inequality, privatization, and the increased cost of living.
Around the world, students are becoming the face of a broad spectrum of movements, ranging from gun law reform, LGBTQ+ rights, education reform, climate change, and nationwide movements for democracy. Student politics are not limited by high school or college campuses; these movements have implications on national and global levels.
The growing importance of students in politics shows that politics is not only the arena of adults. Being a significant portion of the population, students deserve to be a part of political decision-making as they are one of the most critical stakeholders in policy decisions.
The objective of a ‘Think Article’ is to bring knowledge about policies in the sphere, in context to the youth of India and, if possible, influencing the policy process. The article has no motivation to pass any political judgments.
Bibliography
- Altbach, P. (1966). The Transformation of the Indian Student Movement. Asian Survey, 6(8), 448–460. doi:10.2307/2642471
‘The Economist’ London, dt.4–12–1976 - Baruah, S. (2019, August 26). How Tryst With DUSU shaped Arun Jaitley’s Politics. Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/how-tryst-with-dusu-shaped-arun-jaitleys-politics-5936435/
- Pradhan, H. (2018, October 8). What the private universities, colleges say about Students’ Union elections. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/what-the-private-universities-colleges-say-about-students-union-election/articleshow/66114243.cms
- Reagan, H (2019, November 16). Hong Kong’s student protesters are turning campuses into fortresses. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/15/asia/hong-kong-protest-university-fortress-intl-hnk/index.html
- Cuffe, S (2019, November 29). Chile protests: The students ‘woke us up.’ Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/chile-protests-students-woke-191127175718386.html
