It was an evening of controversial debate at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Wednesday evening when presidential candidates of various student unions with respective left and Right alliances came up on stage and presented their agendas for the upcoming election. Testing the oratory skills of the students fighting for the presidential post in the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU), the candidature consisting of men failed to lure the audience.
However, it was the sole woman candidate, Rahilla Perween from the newly formed alliance left Progressive Front (lPF), who stole the show at this year’s JNUSU presidential debate. Perween appropriately put forward her stance as the undeterred sole woman candidate in a way that caught the rapt attention of the audience, which was otherwise preoccupied with anti-cheering.
Indeed it was a heated evening as the most eloquent candidates of each student union were seen on the dais making full use of the last chance they got at convincing students to vote for them. Shooting her powerful rhetoric skills right from the start, Perween made the university’s dissolution to rightist parties the strength of her debate. Passing a strongly-worded remark, she said, “The way communal forces have come forward lately, the university feels threatened. I, on behalf of JNU, from this stage condemn such activities. With this increasing communalism, it was essential that progressive forces came together and drove these influences away. Thus, we formed the lPF and it is nothing but for the best.”
Perween also targeted the All India Students’ Association (AISA)-led JNUSU. “AISA claims that they have done a lot for the university, but if they have really done so much, why are so many issues still prevalent hereIJ” she asked. However, other candidates too had made their points against AISA. Jogender Singh Pawar from the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) said, “AISA is a bubbling cauldron of evil ideas from left and Right. They have filled up a pot of sins and we need to break that pot.”
The issue of hostel accommodation featured in everyone’s speech. Pindiga Ambedkar of CPI(M) backed Students’ Federation of India (SFI) said, “In four years the JNUSU has not managed to do anything about hostel accommodations. It is not like the issues were impossible to solve. The JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) managed to get accommodation for teachers, but the JNUSU has not managed to arrange anything.” Additionally, Perween pointed out that JNU has a round-the-clock dhaba service but no 24-hour functional health centre.
All candidates used similar issues to the hilt, but not all caught the requisite attention. Gender discrimination was a powerful trump card used by several candidates, but used intelligently by Perween. She said, “All these candidates who stand on the dais and say big things about safety for women and gender equality, they are nothing but opportunists. They don’t believe in what they say and this was proven when I, a girl, challenged them for this presidential post. Just because I have the courage to face them, they point fingers at my dignity and disgrace my character. I appeal to everyone to stand by those who genuinely believe in the cause and not say things when it suits them.”k