Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is once again a focal point of intense student activism as Priyanshi Arya, the General Secretary of the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU), has issued a vehement statement condemning the Left-affiliated organisations within the union. Arya’s statement targets these groups for what she describes as monopolistic practices, marginalisation of dissenting voices, ingrained misogyny and caste-based discrimination.
In her detailed statement, Arya has sharply criticised the Left organisations, particularly the All India Students’ Association (AISA), for making unilateral decisions regarding student mobilisations and protests.
She alleges, “It is utterly shameful and vicious of the Left Organisations in the JNUSU that they have presumed sole monopoly over the JNUSU. That they think they can, without the consent of the elected General Secretary, run programmes and hold mobilisation calls under the same banner.” Arya accuses these groups of running events and calling for mobilisations under the JNUSU banner without her consent, effectively sidelining her as the elected General Secretary. She notes that this behaviour has been ongoing, citing instances where her name was used without permission on the Left’s election panel, which raised concerns about the integrity of the election process.
Arya, representing the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA), has expressed strong disapproval of the current march to the Ministry of Education (MoE) organised by the Left groups. She argues that this march, occurring without fully exploring all protest options within the campus, deviates from addressing the core issues. She states, “I am not in agreement with the march to MoE at this stage… Rather, I and the organisation I represent, are in favour of marching to the Administration and carrying out an Admin blockade to actually resolve the issues of the campus.”
She criticises the Left’s approach of organising external marches, which she claims only serve to highlight political leaders who later align with major political parties like the BJP and Congress. Arya emphasises BAPSA’s recent successful action of breaking the 100-meter barrier around the administration block, questioning why the Left could not support this cause and instead chose to focus on external marches that sideline marginalised communities’ demands.
Arya also accuses AISA and other Left-affiliated organisations of neglecting caste-related issues in their protests. She says, “The Left’s negligence of the voice of the sole woman in the panel has compelled me to clarify things again.” She condemns the Left’s exclusion of key demands such as a caste census, implementation of the Nafey Committee recommendations, and audits of the SC/ST Cell, Equal Opportunity Office (EOO), and Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). Arya highlights an incident where AISA’s JNU Unit President allegedly attacked the display of blue Jai Bhim flags, illustrating the Left’s disregard for Ambedkarite voices.
In her statement, Arya challenges AISA’s National Council for misrepresenting the march to MoE as a collective call from the JNUSU, despite her explicit opposition to it. She accuses the Left of engaging in “Brahminical politics” and disregarding her voice as an Ambedkarite woman. Arya appeals to other student organisations and councils within JNU to honour the sanctity of JNUSU and avoid issuing mobilisation calls without proper consensus.
The statement concludes with Arya urging for a campus-focused mobilisation and a direct protest at the Admin Block, stating, “I appeal to all the Organisations, Centres, and Councils to gather mobilisation in the campus towards the Admin block, that will be actually an efficient mode of protest for the resolution of our demands.”
This controversy unfolds against the backdrop of a complete University strike at JNU, marking the 13th day of an ongoing hunger strike. The strike, has seen a significant impact with most classes suspended across the campus. Only a few students from the School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies (SSIS) attended classes.
The protestors have called for the strike to continue until Friday, followed by a planned march to the Ministry of Education. The student body demands increased scholarship amounts, a caste census, lifting the ban on campus protests, and the withdrawal of proctorial inquiries against students involved in previous protests.
Student organisations from institutions such as Jamia Millia Islamia and the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, have expressed solidarity with the JNU students. Despite Vice-Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit’s efforts to end the hunger strike, the students remain firm in their protest and have scheduled the march to the Ministry of Education on August 23, continuing their demand for actionable resolutions.
