[Reader-list] Politics of Scholarship, Imperialist plot, and Consent of Administration and JNUSU

[Dismayed Research Scholars of Jawaharlal Nehru University]

Dear All

This is an attempt to sensitise the representative of Jawaharlal Nehru Nehru
University Students' Union. JNUSU has been known for its stand
against imperialist onslaught , caste practices or gender discrimination
issueHowever, the recent several incidents suggest something else. JNUSU is
busy with the administration to send the scholars from JNU to USA
and countries through organising the workshop and interactive session with
the  representatives of Fulbright Foundation and so on.

in place of fighting against these sources of imperialism and funding and
elitist interactive sessions wherein poor are blatantly discriminated, JNUSU
and administration are busy to organise these sessions. the scholars, OBC
reservation, seat cut in SC/ST seats , total bypassing of differently abled
people, JNUSU has abdicated its responsibility and administration in absence
of any struggle and demotivated and co-opted union , is not bother about the
extension of facilities.


*The Politics of Scholarship, Imperialist plot, and Consent of
Administration and JNUSU** *

The Research Scholars of Jawaharlal Nehru University evince their anguish
and perturbed conditions over several issues prevailing in the campus. There
are various actors responsible for the dismay of research scholars. The
first and foremost player is the administration. The administration
incessantly eulogises Jawaharlal Nehru University for being a world class
university. Therefore, the administration has selected certain aspects of
University which could be turned into as world class. They are: Garden,
Benches, Colourful signboards, Digital notice boards, parking , massive
denudation of rocks and forests like PSR  , several barricades on link roads
to make people visible on main roads not on link roads (bypassing the
sensibility concerning differently* *abled  students ) and so on. The
physical* *transformation of JNU perhaps, according to our dear
administration especially *economist* vice chancellor, would place it
amongst word class institutions . However, the *transformative* ambition of
administration is not visible in spheres of more hostels, increased
scholarship, more relevant books suggested by teachers and students in the
Library, facilities for differently abled students, water availability in
place of the directive to the students to move for the home in the absence
of water, internet facility in hostels , renovation of existing hostels
especially infrastructure and publication opportunity for the research
scholars. The administration has vouched for ominous licence vis-a-vis
aforesaid issue which are intrinsically linked to the every day life of the
research scholars.

The administration conceives of these issues as moribund demands and not
necessarily vital aspects in the schema of world class. Furthermore,
non-implementation of OBC reservation, seat cut in SCs/STs seats and total
marginalization of differently abled students are the *core* initiatives by
the administration concerning march towards to the world class.
Nevertheless, we are not surprised. This has been the nature and attitude of
the structures led by the ruling class. For this purpose, students of this
university has continuously reposed their belief in the struggle led by
JNUSU.  JNUSU has been pioneer not only confronting the administration but
also ensuring the social sensitive and social justice aspect of the campus.


The closer look into the functionality of incumbent JNUSU surprises the
research scholars. The mandate to JNUSU directly by the student community
and later on by subsequent GBMs is not only about legitimacy of JNUSU but
extension of the struggle for the students by this body. The incumbent JNUSU
promised us scholarship from 2005, increased scholarship, better library
facility, more seats for OBCs, no interference in SCs/STs and differently
abled seats, hostel for all and so on.  The net outcome suggests bizarre
outcomes. These issues have been buried by JNUSU and constant ominous
silence is the direct answer to the research scholars who are not worried
about the UPSC preparation and results and are entirely focussed on the
research. JNU is perhaps the last bastion in the third world wherein
independent research takes place and does influence from decision making
process to the thousands macro and micro movements , struggling for the
social change. No wonder, the fund banks and funding agencies have an eye on
this University. The idea is very simple: if you cannot control the
resistance movements simply control the places wherein the movements get
sustenance and inputs.

Our torch-bearers who are leading JNUSU could not comprehend this simple
ploy. In place of fighting for improvements for the students through waging
a struggle against administration, JNUSU and administration are in concert
in the *transformative endeavour *of JNU into the world class institutions.
JNUSU extended its support to the three days ‘*workshop’* for students how
to get jobs in NGOs/Civil Society. The grotesque aspect of this workshop was
the lecture by the representatives of the Fulbright Foundation. The
Fulbright Scholar Program, established in 1946, has been administered since
then by the *Council for International Exchange of Scholars* which is the
scholar division of the *Institute of International Education*, the United
States flagship academic exchange effort, as directed by the United States
Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs<http://exchanges.state.gov/>
(ECA).

 The message is simple: abandon the issue of social change, do not have hope
in JNU, migrate to the developed countries in search of a lucrative space.
JNUSU’s brazen and culpable initiatives suggest a lot about the state of
affairs of JNU. Due to JNUSU’s collaboration with imperialist stooges and
the administration , the politics of JNU and its participants have to
contemplate what went wrong and what should be done to remind JNUSU that in
place of fighting imperialist stooges like Rhodes and Ford Foundations , who
has authorised it to become a fellow traveller of these forces. More than
JNUSU, the onus is on the student community to think about the  future of
JNU and its democratic agenda and how liberate it from exploiter in a
scenario when our *representatives* are not being ashamed to extend their
support to organise such elitist and imperialist ploy.
-- 
Dismayed Research Scholars of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delihi:
110067