The recently-concluded events concerning student union politics at Delhi University (DU) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi, saw the student wings of major political parties contesting a keen electoral battle at the college campuses, with the Aam Admi Party making a debut in student politics by launching its student wing called the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti.
This tussle for power at the campus is considered a reflection of the younger generation's political leanings. But should politics be allowed to enter the college campuses? Delhi students voice their opinions.
Rishika Mukhopadhyay, M. Phil in geography, Delhi School of EconomicsI think politics is necessary within the campus as it gives us a space to voice our political opinions. That said, sometimes the student body elections at DU and JNU can get disturbing. There have been instances of outsiders being brought to the campus for proxy voting and several times there have been instances of violence as well.
In all this, the real motive of student politics gets lost and students’ issues take a backseat.
Suchisree, Centre for Studies of Regional Development, JNUPolitics is very much needed as it gives students a platform to make their voices heard. The lack of politics in college campuses tends to make them authoritarian and undemocratic, which is not healthy.
I went to an apolitical undergraduate college which offered no space for our opinions to be heard or considered, and we had to blindly follow the authority’s strict norms.
However, what is more needed is an independent student body which is not backed by any political party as all political parties have their own agendas.
Polina Dotcenko, Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, JNUI don’t understand the point of indulging in politics in an educational institution.
Politics should be kept out of colleges. The elections at JNU got annoying as the representatives from different political parties were invading our privacy while campaigning for their party candidates. My friends owe their allegiance to different parties, so how can I choose any one?
