JNU students united against privatisation, campus saffronisation: NSUI, Left coalition

As campaigning heats up for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) elections, student leaders across political lines are raising alarm over the growing corporatisation of education, rising gender insensitivity on campuses, and the ideological battles shaping India’s universities.

Former NSUI presidential candidate Pradeep Dhaka accused the government of pushing a systematic ‘saffronisation’ and privatisation agenda across public universities. “Communal hatred has spread across the country. The way saffronisation is happening not just at JNU but in campuses all over India is deeply concerning,” Dhaka said.

He argued that India’s higher education system, traditionally public and affordable, was deliberately made being expensive through fee hikes and the promotion of private universities under the PPP (public-private partnership) model. “Higher education in India has always been public based, but now fees are rising and private universities, inaccessible to the marginalised sections, are being promoted. We are opposing this,” he added.

On the political front, Dhaka said the NSUI’s campaign slogan ‘Break the Left-Right Boundary’ represents an attempt to move beyond old political binaries. “We want to bring the focus back to students issues, affordability, safety and inclusivity, not just ideological battles,” he explained.

He reaffirmed the NSUI’s international stance, especially on Palestine, saying, “From the Mahatma to Sonia Gandhi, the Congress has always stood for the cause of Palestine. The NSUI too stands firmly in solidarity with the people of Palestine.”

Meanwhile, Danish, a member of the Left Unity coalition, stressed that the Left’s struggle remained rooted in defending JNU’s democratic and secular character. “BJP’s politics of ‘One Nation, One Religion’ marginalises women, Muslims, Dalits, and Adivasis. Our fight is to ensure that such divisive ideologies don’t dominate campuses like JNU,” she said.

Danish pointed to deep funding cuts as a major concern, citing reports from AICTE and JNUTA. “There have been 80-90 per cent fund cuts in research, events and scholarships. Public education is being corporatised, and this is directly affecting students’ futures,” she said. Both Dhaka and Danish, despite representing opposing camps, found common ground on one issue, the weakening of democratic institutions. Dhaka said, “The Election Commission, once trusted by the public, is now functioning under pressure. Vote thefts have become commonplace.