Should students indulge in political activity or not? Somehow, this question has become the subject of much debate, not just among politicians but even among the general public and, crucially, among parents.
Parents naturally would like their children to concentrate on studies and aim for better grades, which then will decide their careers and pretty much set them up for life. The Indian parent’s obsession with marks and grades is legendary and anything that comes in the way – movies, friends, extra curricular activities and yes, politics, is simply a distraction. In any case politics is seen as too murky; student politics is considered wholly unnecessary.
TO say – as some have argued – that students who get subsidised education should remain away from politics is ridiculous; the same argument would apply for IIT students who, after 5 years of subsidised education, end up selling soft drinks or worse, go abroad to contribute to the economy of other countries. The State should subsidise education in order to produce smart engineers, doctors and humanities scholars; then the country should give them opportunity to work and contribute their talents.
The public is divided, but one suspects that they will lean in the direction of saying no. This is possibly because the public is also composed of parents, but also because society tends to lean towards conservative attitudes and distrusts those who question too much. Plus we all know what older people think of the younger generation.
Interestingly, politicians too have been speaking out against students indulging in political activities. One such recent critic was Venkaiah Naidu, who perhaps forgot that he used to be a student leader in Hyderabad. He could have also considered his own party colleague Arun Jaitley, a famous student politician in his time. Jaitley was thrown into jail during the Emergency for his political activities. He has kept quiet about the JNU issue, except to talk about anti-national sloganeering, but surely he cannot be against the notion of student politics?
As a young reporter for this very paper where this column appears, I was often sent out to cover campus politics in Mumbai (then Bombay). Bombay University had a fairly active political scene and all the major political parties had a student wing. The most active were the NSUI (Congress), SFI (CPM) and the AISF (CPI). The Jan Sangh’s ABVP was not so prominent but that did not mean it was not active. There were other far left organisations too.
In the late 1970s, a group of students took over the Bombay University building in Fort and installed their own representative as the Vice-Chancellor. All entrances to the building were sealed off and all officials were kept out. As a journalist, I managed to gain access to the VC’s office and interviewed the “student VC.”
There was of course a huge hue and cry and the poor student was suspended from his course for two years; others too were given punishments. Today, many of them are in prominent positions, including that “VC for a day” who is a lawyer in the city. Many other student leaders of the time moved on to higher things — one is the former MP Gurudas Kamath.
Clearly indulging in politics did not affect them. But those who object to student politics often get the perspective wrong. It is not merely about joining political parties – which, as citizens, they are free to do – but about engaging in the important issues of the day.
Student politicians are not mere proxies for the bigger parties; they also speak up for students’ issues and ensure that the interests of students are taken care of. The students’ union is the authorised representative of the student body and can negotiate on their behalf. University administrations are careful if the students’ union is strong.
More important, while college and university life should be carefree and fun, that is also the time to learn and discuss new things that affect society as a whole. The reason why Kanhaiya’s speech has struck a chord with so many people is because as a student leader, he has been involved in discussing the key issues of the day on the campus, which is known for its robust debating tradition. It is no surprise that students from JNU have gone on to join the civil services, media and even the corporate sector because they come from a background of debate and dissent.
To say – as some have argued – that students who get subsidised education should remain away from politics is ridiculous; the same argument would apply for IIT students who, after 5 years of subsidised education, end up selling soft drinks or worse, go abroad to contribute to the economy of other countries. The State should subsidise education in order to produce smart engineers, doctors and humanities scholars; then the country should give them opportunity to work and contribute their talents.
Any student who gets too involved in merely politicking and lets his or her education suffer is making a mistake. But that is not because politics per se is bad, but more because distractions of any kind are problematic if they get out of hand. A balance has to be maintained.
Not many of these so-called student politicians end up in politics. Indeed, it is a pity that they don’t, because the quality of Indian politics would actually improve. Electoral politics today, unfortunately, does not depend on the speaking and thinking skills of the practitioner but on their winnability. And all kinds of factors contribute to that. Student politicians would come much more prepared and lend the benefit of their education towards the nation’s development. If anything, society should encourage students to deeply think about the problems that beset this country and not raise objections to politics on the campus.
