SFI loses more seats in JU elections

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, April 5, 2007
The consequences of the Nandigram firing last month are being felt by the CPI(M) even at the college and university level. The student wing of the party, SFI has lost the student elections in Presidency College and now it has been virtually wiped out in Jadavpur University.
On Thursday, the SFI lost all 4 students’ union panel seats in the science faculty and 5 seats in the engineering faculty in JU. Earlier, it had lost its 8-year-old grip over the arts faculty after having lost in the elections held on March 28. The SFI however, had something to cheer about, after they bagged all 38 seats in the elections held in South City College on Thursday.
SFI leaders admitted in private that the controversial land acquisition policy of the state government in Singur and the carnage in Nandigram were the principal causes of the setback. At least, students belonging to the elite colleges in Kolkata have given the thumbs down to the state policy.
“The students have definitely not liked the rude stance that the SFI had taken over the Nandigram issue. They have only remained the mouthpiece of their parent party and have never tried to understand nor answer the questions being asked by students about the atrocities on small farmers,” said Proloy Kumar Saha, outgoing general secretary of the Science Faculty Students’ Union, which will once again be controlled by ‘We the Independent’.
Of the 72 class representative (CR) seats in the science faculty, ‘We the Independent’ bagged 67 seats, while 2 seats went to AIDSO and only 3 went to SFI. In the engineering faculty elections, out of 160 CR seats — Democratic Students Front (DSF) got 158 seats — where as, SFI managed only 2 seats.
“Most students who take admission in JU are good students and think independently. The verdict given by the students in all the three faculties — arts, science and engineering — shows that students have rejected the land policy adopted by the Left Front government,” said Amit Chakraborty of DSF.
Meanwhile, the SFI ascribed its defeat in JU to organisational failure. “We will definitely come back. What we need to do is make students understand that the state policy to set up more industries will only brighten the future of the students. Even, those who are mouthing anti-land acquisition and anti-industrialisation slogans will have to scout for jobs once they are out of the university. This time students belonging to different political colours have come together to oppose us. We just need to make students see the real picture,” said Sudip Sengupta, state president of SFI.
The elections however, did not end on a peaceful note. After winning the election, students had taken out a victory rally within the campus, when they clashed with a section of the non-teaching staff.
“The non-teaching staff union is run by the CPM and obviously they could not tolerate our success. When we took out our victory rally they came out with rods and attacked us. Seven students were injured and had to be admitted to Arobindo Sheba Kendra,” alleged Saha.
The SFI however had a different version: “Out of joy they lost all sense and attacked some members of the non-teaching staff. This hooliganism is not expected from students and it is clear that they will not make the right use of their power,” said Sengupta.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com