Caste politics overshadows poll-bound 'liberal' JNU campus

New Delhi: Just days ahead of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Union elections, the varsity students have alleged that the current political environment in the campus has turned itself completely into the caste politics.

Shashank Singh, a first-year MA student revealed to DNA that he was surprised to see that instead of political ideologies and agendas, students have been talking in terms of 'caste'.

On August 30, the candidate's names for JNU Student Union (JNUSU) elections was announced by the poll committee.

As per Singh, the candidates, who have been nominated for elections leaders were found engaging in caste and identity politics, something the freshers hardly expected to witness on the 'liberal' campus, as JNU is found for.

Three Left groups -- All India Students Association (AISA), Students Federation of India (SFI), and Democratic Students Federation (DSF) which had joined hands together to beat the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). However, as per Singh, the nominees are instead engaging in spats with Ambedkarite organisation Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA).

BAPSA, which had emerged as a contender just last year, has been slamming the former AISA-SFI-led student union, stating that its members were "Savarnas" (upper caste), who were "suppressing" the real "anti-brahminical" struggle on the campus.

Earlier, BAPSA members were at loggerheads with the JNUSU on missing university student Najeeb Ahmed and accused the varsity of betraying them for doing nothing concrete to bring justice in the case. 

On the other hand, many students are of the opinion that the leaders should let these issues be and think about more pressing matters related to the campus.

The JNU Union elections are scheduled to be held on September 8 and the results will be declared on September 11. 

On polling day the outsiders will be barrded from entering the campus.