Panjab University poll: Was inactive in ABVP, NSUI gave me a free hand, says top post winner

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, September 6

Breaking the eight-year tie with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) proved a “wise” decision for Jatinder Singh of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) as he left a huge impact on this year’s Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) elections.

‘Students fed up with political pressure’

‘This campus belongs to the students, not to the seasoned politicians. The students were fed up with political pressure and interference of politicians. We will take everyone along for the development of the university.’

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Jatinder Singh, NSUI

Just before the elections, Jatinder joined the NSUI on August 29 in the presence of Congress national in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar. On August 30, he was chosen the presidential face of the party. He brought 74 former ABVP supporters with him. However, on September 1, the group courted controversies after one of its alliance partners, the Indian National Students’ Organisation (INSO), decided to part ways after an alleged scuffle. Despite this setback, the party managed to make a strong ground to win the elections.

New president lists priorities

• Our priority will be to form a PUCSC constitution, as no office-bearer knows about his or her powers and limitations for the welfare of the students.
• Will make all efforts to get menstruation leave approved.
• Our priority will be to fulfil all promises made in the manifesto, including the opening of the central placement cell.
• Students voted for trust, and we will maintain it for years to come
• Our focus was on one post and we made all efforts to win it.

Jatinder put in a lot of efforts to convince some members of the NSUI, who were terming his as a parachute candidate. “This campus belongs to the students, not to the seasoned politicians. The students were fed up with political pressure and interference of politicians. I must congratulate every student of the campus. We will take everyone along for the development of the university,” said Jatinder, soon after winning the elections.

While talking about his exit from the ABVP and joining the NSUI, Jatinder revealed that he had been inactive with the ABVP for a year.

“Though I joined the NSUI recently, I started my association with it long back. I had been inactive in the ABVP for the past one year. I was active in the university, but not in the organisation. There were some issues and I was not able to put forth my ideas. That’s why I took a decision,” said Jatinder.

When asked if his win was the ABVP’s loss, the newly elected president said: “There’s nothing such kind of gain or loss for anyone. I had a plan and I wanted to execute (my agenda) it for the welfare of the students. But they (ABVP) didn’t want to work on that plan. In the NSUI, I had freedom of expression and flexibility to execute these plans,” added the new PUSCS president, whose mother is a homemaker and father a regional director at Nehru Yuva Kendra.

‘Hidden’ faces behind victory

The NSUI’s stunning win over the ruling Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) and the ABVP didn’t come overnight. The ‘hidden’ faces behind this win have a vast experience of handling all ins-and-outs of the university’s student politics. Manoj Lubana (34), state president of the Chandigarh Youth Congress, helped the NSUI win the presidential post for the fourth time.

Carrying the responsibility of managing the NSUI’s hold on the campus, Lubana ensured that the party won the top post after 2017. Earlier, he remained the face behind the party’s success in 2103 and 2014. His aide, Chandan Rana, former PUCSC president and now Chairman, Media Cell, Himachal Youth Congress, also played a key role in garnering regional votes for the party. Another active member, Sikender Boora, who takes care of the NSUI affairs on the campus, is also credited to managing votes of hostellers.

“It is the victory of the university’s students. It’s the matter for pride for the entire NSUI family and a positive result of Rahul Gandhi’s effort to spread love across the nation,” said Lubana.

“There was no specific mantra behind this win, but sheer hard work. We have promised to bring the golden days back for the university students and fulfil all promises made in the manifesto,” added Lubana.

Poonam Jayani, a research scholar who was earlier associated with the ABVP and joined the NSUI along with Jatinder, is known to have a strong influence among female students of the university.