It is election time in campuses across Kerala. Campuses in the State were having lock down for the last two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic as students were confined to their homes and were taught through the on-line mode.
The festival of democracy has returned with a bang and university students are busy campaigning in colleges. The CPI(M)’s Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Indian National Congress’ students wing Kerala Students Union are the main contenders for the top honours.
Party leaders have a lot to learn from the student community. No washing of dirty linen in public or no name calling during campaign speeches. It reminds one of the ambience in an international organisation where the rival student leaders speak out their apprehension and fears.
Both SFI and KSU consider the Hindu communalism and fundamentalism as the main threat facing the nation. The government diktat that politics should be kept away from campaigning has not gone down well with the SFI leaders. “Everything in the country is based on politics. The history of Kerala itself has been moulded to suit the convenience the upper caste Hindus. How many of us believe that Kerala was created by Parasurama by throwing his axe? Can any sensible person believe this argument?” asked SFI leader Aslaf Saleem during his campaign speech at Government Law College, Thrissur that goes to the polls on November 8.
The dress code for students prescribed by the university authorities, the new education police announced by the Centre, the directive that boys and girls should not sit together and the interference of faculty members in the personal relation between students and the non-inclusion of student representative in Staff Councils have drawn the ire of the students. Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the RSS are the focus of their attacks.
The Manifesto Drafting Committees of both the KSU and the SFI are busy giving finishing touches to the manifestos. “We have a lot of surprises for the students.
Our attention is on making campuses the real heaven in earth. Students should be able to come to the campus without fear and we will make the campuses a home away from home for the students,” said Theres P Jimmy, the intellectual face of KSU and a law student.
According to K J Gopinadhan, an engineer and a former student activist, the politics in campuses have undergone a major transformation. “The students speak with erudition but they should come out of the indoctrination by the political masters. They should read and discuss more instead of swallowing what the leaders tell them,” said Gopinadhan.
It is festival time in the campuses till November 8 and the contestants are making use of all means to reach out to the “voters”. What caught the attention of the visitors to Government Law College Thrissur were the campaign committee offices of the SFI and KSU, made out of coconut leaves and wood. It is cool inside the offices while campaigning is getting hotter outside.
“We will play the game in the spirit of the game. There would not be any untoward incidents,” said Justin James and Jerrin of KSU and SFI respectively. Well, the veteran politicians have a lot to learn from these youngsters.