7/31/2019 JNU SFI Unit Statement Against Dissolution of Unit by All India Leadership

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STUDENTS FEDERATION OF INDIA-JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY UNIT

Unite against Authoritarianism and Stifling of Democracy

10.07.2012

A meeting of the SFI Delhi State Committee was convened today to discuss SFI-JNUs position against CPI (M)s support to Pranab Mukherjee in the presidentialelections. The meeting was attended by the SFI All India General Secretary

Ritabrata Banerjee, All India President P K Biju and All-India Joint Secretary VSivadasan.

The 4 Delhi State Committee members from JNU explained the rationale behindthe political position adopted by the SFI-JNU Unit. Unfortunately, there was noeffort on the part of the All-India leadership to provide any politicalexplanations or arguments. Instead a tirade was launched against the SFI-JNUUnit. The state committee members from Delhi University and Jamia MilliaIslamia, who tried to intervene and argue for a political resolution of the matter,were coerced into submission.

The State Committee meeting has passed a resolution by a margin of 8 votesto 4, expelling the 4 state committee members from JNU: Roshan Kishore(President, Delhi SFI), P K Anand and Zico Dasgupta (Vice Presidents, Delhi SFI)and V Lenin Kumar (State Committee member); and dissolving the SFI-JNU Unit.It is to be noted that 3 Delhi State Committee members of the SFI, including theSecretary of the Delhi State Committee, are out of station and were not presentin the meeting.

The SFI Constitutional provision invoked during the meeting relates to thepurview of a primary unit in taking decisions on international and nationalissues. The SFI-JNU Unit has always adopted positions on international and

national issues over the past 40 years of its existence. SFIs Constitutionalprovision has never come in the way nor been invoked by anybody concerned.Moreover, the SFI CEC has not taken any position so far on CPI (M)s support toPranab Mukherjee or the other issues raised by the SFI-JNU. Therefore there isno question of violating any all-India political line.

The decision to dissolve the SFI-JNU Unit is nothing but a mockery of thedemocratic processes of organization functioning, as laid down in the SFIConstitution and a grave assault on the independent and progressive characterof a student organization like the SFI. The SFI-JNU Unit has not indulged in anyanti-SFI activity. The political position against CPI (M) support to PranabMukherjee was adopted in a transparent and democratic manner, afterconvening EC meeting and a GBM, which is the highest decision making bodyof the unit. Neither did the All-India leadership of the SFI take any publicposition on the issue nor did it make any attempt to engage with the SFI-JNUUnit in a democratic manner.

The decision to expel 4 SFI Delhi State Committee members from JNU becausethe SFI-JNU Unit has taken a collective decision on a political issue, smacks ofan authoritarian, undemocratic and vindictive attitude. The All-India leadershipseems to be under the misconception that by targeting a few individuals they

will be able to browbeat the entire unit and divert attention from the relevantpolitical issues. They are taking the collective political consciousness andorganizational unity in the SFI-JNU Unit for granted.

7/31/2019 JNU SFI Unit Statement Against Dissolution of Unit by All India Leadership

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The SFI-JNU stands by the principled political positions it has adopted in theGBM and articulated through subsequent pamphlets. SFI-JNU Unit will carryforward the legacy of Study and Struggle and continue to function in the nameofSFI-JNU and retain its adherence to the SFI Programme and Constitution. Itis the All-India leadership of the SFI who have acted against the SFI Programmeand Constitution. We appeal to SFI Units across the country, SFI Statecommittees and SFI CEC members to register their protest against such

violations and reverse the undemocratic decisions.SFI-JNU appeals to the students of JNU to join a protest march at 9:30 pmtonight from Ganga Dhaba against this authoritarian and high handed decisionof the SFI All-India leadership. We also appeal to all progressive-democraticsections of the student community to unite against authoritarian attempts tothrottle political debates which would corrode the legacy of progressive studentmovement in our country.

Sd/-

Arjun (Secretary SFI-JNU), Anagha (President SFI-JNU), Lenin; Divya

(Vice President SFI-JNU), Anshul; Rahul; Altamash (Joint Secretary SFI-JNU)