[Reader-list] Fwd: Delhi University gets ABVP president after 8 years/reader-list Digest, Vol 62, Issue 35

[Tapas Ray]

Sorry, I hit reply again, instead of reply all.


---------- Forwarded message ----------

Aarti,

Before sending my post, I had missed your last one, in which you gave
the discussion a broader scope than it had until then. The discussion
had been not only very local in content but also full of ad hominem
attacks as far as I could tell from running my eyes over them. I must
confess that I did not read them, and probably would not have read
them even if I could. Anyway, the point is that I was not referring to
that particular post of yours.

I am a little confused about the consensus issue. When CSDS people
started this list, they posted a precise statement of its purpose on
the web site. At that point there could have been no question of a
consensus among list members other than themselves, simply because
there were none. If a consensus is needed now, a separate thread can
be started to discuss and decide - within a reasonable time frame -
what the purpose should be. Whatever is decided, should be stated
clearly and some kind of regular moderating introduced so that
discussions are not all over the place and abusive. At present they
have nothing to do with the stated purpose. This goes for the ones I
have participated in, as well as others.

I agree that local issues can and should be discussed if they open up
larger questions. However, I think that if they are to be brought up,
that should be done to present them as instances of larger processes.
That is not how this particular discussion started, as far as I can
see. It started when Aditya Raj Kaul pasted an Economic Times story on
the ABVP victory in DUSU elections.

We should remember that many - probably most - discussions here may
not be of much interest to those who live outside particular areas,
such as West Bengal or Kashmir or Delhi, not to speak of India. Yes,
you can delete the posts you do not want to read, but that only takes
care of a part of the problem. I think a bigger issue is that these
endless charges and counter-charges leave little room for discussions
on substantive issues that are of interest at least to a large
minority of members if not a majority.

Just my two-bit.

Tapas


2008/9/12 Aarti Sethi <aarti.sethi at gmail.com>:
> Well, I think there is no consensus on what this list is meant for, so I'm
> not sure why Delhi University student elections cannot be a topic for
> discussion, as can student unions anywhere else if people choose to talk
> about them. Having said that I agree that sometimes the list descends into a
> parochialism where it seems that only india, in that delhi, is the locus of
> all conversation, and as far as possible its best to avoid discussions of
> this nature. Unless of course a particular discussion is meant to open out a
> larger set of issues. So nandigram panchayat elections have been discussed
> on this list, for good reason I would think.
>
> Which is why I thought that I was referring to a larger issue of caste-based
> reservations in general, which certainly do not apply only to Delhi
> University.
>
> regards
> A
>
> On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 7:52 PM, Tapas Ray <tapasrayx at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Just a thought. Is this list meant for sparring over Delhi University
>> student union elections? That's not the idea I got from the list
>> description. If we talk about DUSU, what about the other hundreds of
>> college and university SU's in India, and similar numbers in other
>> countries?
>>
>>
>>
>> 2008/9/12 Aditya Raj Kaul <kauladityaraj at gmail.com>:
>> > Dear Prakash bhai,
>> >
>> >    I was honest in my previous mail and will remain so; and it would
>> > have
>> > been a positive change if you would have respected my honesty.
>> >
>> > I oppose caste based reservations and will remain firm with my stand.
>> > Also,
>> > I'm no one from 'Youth For Equality' to answer your queries. So, Kindly
>> > visit any of YFE Chapters and ask them there itself. Just to enligten
>> > you a
>> > bit, it wasn't just general category students but hundreds of SC ST and
>> > OBC
>> > who used to take part in protests with us. I personally know so many of
>> > them
>> > from IIT, NSIT, DU, IP etc. who used to lead our protests. You sure are
>> > unaware to this fact, 'why so?' that only you may be able to answer.
>> >
>> > "Who do you think was an able candidate for the position of President in
>> > the
>> > recently concluded elections of DUSU ?" - If you answer this, it would
>> > simplyfy your confusion. I didn't support Nupur Sharma because she was
>> > from
>> > ABVP, but because she had the capacity to lead and was able enough to
>> > become
>> > the DUSU President. Others in the fray, were more so a confused lot. I
>> > met
>> > them, SFI-AISA etc were struggling to make space in the elections. NSUI,
>> > even though had free flow of money from Congress, couldn't choose a
>> > better
>> > candidate then Sonia Sapra. I met almost all candidates and finally
>> > concluded on Nupur being the only positive choice. You may like to
>> > differ
>> > forgetting the individuals and considering only the party line, but
>> > unfortunately or fortunately, for me, individuals and parties are both
>> > equally important.
>> >
>> > I didn't betray United Students, as you may have liked, but have
>> > supported a
>> > change in the making. I still stand by that 'Hindu' statement. Some
>> > Individuals who don't waste time puting across allegations on others, do
>> > work for the students silently in the DU Campus.
>> >
>> > P.S. Even in the DU Elections; officially it isn't a party or a group
>> > contesting, it is actually the individuals. The parties have no
>> > authority or
>> > right given by the DU.
>> >
>> > Hope your sonfusion has been solved. Its better you shift your focus
>> > towards
>> > something constructive.
>> >
>> > Love
>> >
>> > Aditya Raj Kaul
>> >
>> > On 9/11/08, prakash ray <pkray11 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Mr Kaul,
>> >>
>> >> Before you oppose reservations, I suggest you must demand for equal
>> >> distribution of property, land, and opportunities, and above all, the
>> >> equality of dignity and respect for each and every one. We always raise
>> >> a
>> >> slogan against the Youth for Equality- 'Baap ki daulat chhod ke bolo
>> >> tum
>> >> equality'. You have written that since Nupur Sharma is your friend, so
>> >> you
>> >> supported her in the elections. it shows that your personal relations
>> >> matter
>> >> more than the issue you are 'fighting' for. By supporting her you have
>> >> betrayed the United Students, the organization you formed. In a report
>> >> published in The Hindu on September 4, 2006, you have said- "We believe
>> >> that
>> >> a new direction must be given to the students movement. Traditional
>> >> student
>> >> unions are overly politicised and have become symptomatic of the
>> >> maladies
>> >> of
>> >> our present political class. They are no longer about us, but about
>> >> their
>> >> political masters. Our manifesto is a reflection of what we want to see
>> >> in
>> >> our campuses and colleges - and in this great institution called Delhi
>> >> University." Now, you support such an organization.
>> >>
>> >> what should I reply or say!!
>> >>
>> >> Regards,
>> >>
>> >> Prakash K Ray
>> >> _________________________________________
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