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How Kanhaiya has split Patna University wide open

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Amitabh Srivastava
Amitabh SrivastavaFeb 23, 2016 | 23:24

How Kanhaiya has split Patna University wide open

Deswa farebwa ke jaal mein, chhudale bhaiyaa... ho bhaiyya.

(The country is trapped by pretenders, let's rescue it, brother.) 

The Bhojpuri song, sung melodiously by a group of All India Students' Association (AISA) activists at the entrance of the Patna University on February 23, contains both rhyme and reason. As two girls and two boys sing aloud in front of a young crowd of students and activists, the nuanced humour and acerbic wit of the protest song cuts across everyone, including those stopping at the university gate to listen to the unusual bunch of students - backed by a motley crowd of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) activists - who have taken pains to leave room for the passerby, instead of blocking the road, which seemed an easier option.

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The lyrics question the double standards of the government of India, and the sloganeering and loud clapping ring through the sprawling Patna University campus. "I think there has to be a reason behind everything that the government does or does not. They arrested Kanhaiya (JNU Students' Union president), calling him a traitor, but have nothing to show as evidence against him," says Prachi, an AISA activist, currently doing postgraduation in political science.   

Prachi is also sad about the state of affairs at the Patna University. "Communal politics is surely a huge challenge. But the bigger challenge in Patna University is the caste-driven agenda of various politically-driven student groups that divert the students' attention from real issues," she said.

Akash Kashyap, a final year postgraduate student of physics and a member of the AISA national executive, admits to have raised several key issues about improving the academic condition in the university. "But we have hardly been able to meet our objective because the university authorities fan division among students. It obviously suits them."

Patna has been simmering with anger over the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar on February 12 on the charge of sedition. It took an ugly turn on February 18 when members of student organisations, including the Communist Party of India-backed All India Students' Federation (AISF), and those having allegiance to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal (United) had a confrontation with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists near the state BJP headquarters on Beer Chand Patel Marg.

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The confrontation took place just when a group of BJP activists were about to leave their office for a march to protest against what they called anti-national activities going on at the JNU. It was ill-timed as another group of young protesters, carrying flags of the AISF and placards with pictures of chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, approached the BJP office. The groups had a heated exchange of words during which some stones and glass bottles were thrown from both sides. A prompt police action, however, saved the situation.

The AISA activists and a number of students India Today spoke to on Tuesday at the Patna University campus, including those who did not belong to the Leftist organisation, overwhelmingly agreed with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's criticism of the Narendra Modi government. Nitish had accused the NDA government of diverting people's attention to non-issues to deflect their attention from the Centre's failures on all fronts, including in fulfilling the promises made to the people of the country before the 2014 general election.

"Since they have failed to fulfil any of their promises, and failed on the economic and development fronts, they are trying to kick off sentimental issues," Nitish had said on February 19.     

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Back at the Patna University, Prachi wondered aloud over the "indifference" of the university administration and other right-wing organisations over the real issues. "Crimes like eve-teasing have increased in the past one-and-a-half year. But those with powers are driving us towards non-issues. They call women an incarnation of Bharat Mata but look the other way when more and more girl students are targeted. There is barely any effort to make the women feel secure."

Just about a 100 metres away from the AISA protest site, the locked door of the Patna University Student Union (PUSU) office completes the jarring irony. The door to the one room PUSU office bears a tiny lock, similar to the one that is fixed on your checked baggage.

PUSU vice-president Anshuman, however, still struggles with a bunch of keys before he finally finds the right one to open the lock with. An inch of dust has settled on his desk and on all the 28 chairs, adequately explaining the state of affairs in the officially recognised PUSU, the election to which were held in 2012 after a gap of 28 years. However, everyone seems to have once again forgotten about the PUSU elections and its office bearers since then.

It seems no one visits the PUSU office, not even the office-bearers, admits Anshuman. The elected vice-president of the PUSU also concedes that the union has done nothing after the arrest of Kanhaiya, the JNUSU president, now under judicial custody.

It could not have been more ironic for the PUSU to remain a mute spectator, given that Kanhaiya spent four years at the Patna University from 2003 to 2007 as an undergraduate student of geography at the College of Commerce.

Last updated: February 25, 2016 | 10:12
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