Kanhaiya Kumar: Delhi University Elections after 4 years, NSUI accuses ABVP of hooliganism

New Delhi: The National Students Union of India (NSUI) accused the BJP student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of resorting to violence and hooliganism to intimidate students ahead of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections scheduled to be held on September 22.

The DUSU elections are being held after a gap of four years. The elections were last held in 2019. The students’ union elections could not be held in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 while possible disruptions to the academic calendar prevented their conduct in 2022. Keeping the gap in mind, an age relaxation of three years was granted to students contesting in the elections.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the AICC in-charge for NSUI, Kanhaiya Kumar and the NSUI president Neeraj Kundan alleged that the ABVP, with the support and patronage of the administration and the Delhi Police, was trying to vitiate the peaceful academic atmosphere of the campus.

Kumar asserted, come what may, the NSUI will not let that happen and will not be intimidated by such tactics. He said that despite so many resources and support from their government at the centre, the ABVP is panicking and fearing defeat. That is why this organisation is resorting to violence and hooliganism, he added.

The former JNU Students Union president said the NSUI was going to these elections with a positive agenda. He said the NSUI was getting extensive support from the student community from across the country like the students of North-East and the southern states.

He said, these elections were being held after a gap of three years and most of the students like those studying in the first and third year were all first-time voters.

ABVP won in 2019

In 2019, the ABVP won three seats in the DUSU elections, while NSUI bagged one seat. ABVP’s Akshit Dahiya registered a historic victory by winning the DUSU presidential post by over 29,000 votes.

Kumar said, their positive agenda was getting immense support from the students and in some cases from the other sections too. He said, the demand for two-day menstrual leave for female students every month has been appreciated by the teachers and students alike.

He said the way the academic atmosphere of the campus was being impaired must have caused concern among parents and families of the students who come here to study from across the country and abroad. He pointed out, that Delhi University is a prestigious university and any wrong image of the institution is not good for the country.

The AICC in charge of NSUI accused the Delhi Police of allowing a free run to the ABVP for its violence and hooliganism. He alleged that instead of taking action against the ABVP activists, the NSUI activists were being wrongly targeted and harassed.