Student politics is a necessary and vital part of a healthy campus
life. It is not only the breeding ground for future leaders, but also a
great educational tool that allows the students to learn and experience
many life skills.
Unfortunately though, students’ politics in India has become
synonymous with violence, hooliganism, corruption and petty politics.
The formula for success in student politics has somehow turned into
becoming notorious and maintaining a nuisance value. I have witnessed
various elections of students’ unions and also studied many, so as to
understand the reasons behind the campus violence after the formation of
students’ bodies.
I believe that the biggest challenge before any student leadership
trying to engage in constructive student politics is to keep away from
use of violence as a political tool and reject corruption as an accepted
norm in order to create a peaceful atmosphere. This is exactly what
‘sine-die’ prone Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students were expecting
in 2014-15 AMUSU elections.
The students had high hopes with the presidential candidate, Abdullah
Azzam in this regard as his foremost agenda during the election
campaign was ‘Violence Free Campus’ (What he would call - ‘End to Katta
Culture’), ‘End to Regional Bias and Lobbyism’ and ‘Corruption Free
Union With Highest Accountability’. He was able to win the tough battle
against the regional strongholds because he could generate hope of a
peaceful campus in the mindset of general students. Peace was not only
required for the better environment at the campus but also because AMU
had to face the NAAC team for its accreditation.
My observation is that the AMUSU president was singularly successful
on this account. This is not to say that there were no instances of
violence on the campus, or that we witnessed no cases of student
infighting. But it was for this first time that the University did not
witness the Students’ Union leadership patronizing the violent elements.
Azzam made it clear many a times by rejecting support for the
pro-violence students and made fighting with impunity an intricate task.
There were indeed decisive moments wherein the peace and harmony on
the campus could have been compromised to earn the backing of muscle
power. One, within a month of the formation of the Union, when students
(and non-students) from a certain lobby (well known at AMU) crowded the
Union Hall with an angry mob and demanded that the president patronize
them in their fight with members of another lobby. They even attempted
to capture the office of the president and posed threats and immense
pressure, demanding support from the president. However, he dared to say
no and set a precedent that at AMU it is possible for a student leader
to face the muscle power by holding high to his principles.
Second, in December, when Saddam Hussein, a cabinet member of the
Union was involved in an ugly fight for use of force, the president was
demanded and also expected to side by his cabinet member. However,
again, he set another example by rejecting support to violence, no
matter it involved his own cabinet associate. Even as the cabinet member
stayed underground for eight days and immense pressure was mounted on
the president to take sides in the fight, the president refused to
budge. Ultimately, the issue ran out of steam and was resolved amicably
without turning into a long-drawn tussle.
The third instance is the latest one, when KC Tyagi, a Member of
Parliament, was honoured at AMU Students’ Union Hall and some
pro-violence elements from BJP supporters opened fire trying to disrupt
the event to impose their political will. President AMUSU asked all the
students present there to maintain peace and refrain from any attempts
of violence by responding to violence with peace. He discussed the issue
in AMU Court the same day and the court demanded the Vice Chancellor to
take a stern action against the culprits, which he promised thereof.
This way, it was rare incident in the students’ politics, where gun was
refuted by pen, and this is what he had promised to the students’
fraternity.
Previously, an AMUSU president was rusticated for corrupt practices.
Also many a times, student leaders were involved in deriving hefty sums
of money from shop keepers etc. a practice that was ill and which harmed
the image of the alma mater. It needed to be dealt in an appropriate
manner. I believe, in his presidency, Abdullah Azzam has been largely
successful in bringing forth a clean image of the students’ leadership. I
believe that besides his personal honesty and credentials, what helped
in this regard was that he had to pay none as he had borrowed his
election expenditures from none of the corrupt lobbies, who demand money
from student leaders and force them to engage in the malpractices.
Money is the prime factor that governs the violent elements. And hence,
refraining from the hafta culture paved way for peace at the campus.
This is not to say that corruption and violence have been rooted out
from this campus completely. But this time, as the president did not
have a stake in the interests of corrupt lobbies, the Union as a whole
could not become a party to any of these conflicts or the petty fights
they set off. As a result, the general student was not dragged into the
middle and the campus as a whole could enjoy a more peaceful and a
corruption free atmosphere.
Besides peace, election agendas contain dozens of issues and number
of promises are made. I think that requires a detailed analysis and the
students in general keep a close watch on all those promises. However,
the foremost requirement for a healthy campus and a constructive
leadership is to establish peace. Peace brings prosperity and peace was
one of the most important factors that helped AMU get the NAAC
accreditation. The NAAC team is known to have said on record that AMUSU
has helped AMU grow into healthy campus.
I find it worth mentioning here that AMUSU president has satisfied my
conscience as a general student aspiring for a healthy environment to
study. If possible, I would critically analyze the various others
aspects of students’ union at AMU in detail and set records right, so
that we present a model for other universities to have a union with a
standard culture.
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(Kashif Ilyas is a MA English (Final) student at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) )
