The National Students Union of India, Congress' students wing, has swept the the students' union election of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University at Varanasi on Wednesday.
Shivam Shukla wins the president post, Chandan Mishra is the Vice President, Avnish Mishra is General Secretary and Rajnikant Dubey is the new library representative.
A year ago, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the RSS' students wing, had won all posts here. Over 2,000 Post grad and research students study in the 225-year-old institution in Varanasi. The varsity has over 1,000 affiliated colleges across India which impart education to over one lakh youth.
NSUI's victory has come at a time when ABVP is receiving flak from across India for its alleged role in the mob attack at Jawaharlal Nehru University on Sunday which left several students and teachers injured.
NSUI leaders credit their victory to the BJP and ABVP's "flawed policies."
Akhilendra Tripathi, the senior NSUI leader of Varanasi, alleges, "The ABVP had assumed that they would continue to get the support of Brahmin community despite goondaism, divisive ideology and failure to address the core issues. Our victory has shown them their place."
Tripathi says, "Apart from rising unemployment, there is a huge unrest among students over the BJP government's poor treatment to the University. Although PM and other BJP leaders profess their love for Sanskrit, but do nothing for the language in reality. Out of 113 sanctioned posts in this campus, only 38 are filled. Classes are being managed by temporary teachers who are hired on petty salary. Despite court order to fill the posts, hiring was frozen at the behest of the government."