Educate! Agitate!! Organize!!!
The BIRSA-AMBEDKAR-PHULE STUDENT ASSOCIATION (BAPSA-JNU) is an independent student organization committed to unitesocially-economically-politically-culturally oppressed students’ to fight uncompromisingly against Brahmanism and Capitalism and to establish a society based on EQUALITY, LIBERTY and FRATERNITY. BAPSA has been consistentlyfighting and taking part in the Ambedkarite movement which is striving to annihilate caste system and Brahmanism. BAPSA firmly believes to fight against privatization and communalization of education and to promote scientific, inclusive, humanistic education and knowledge production which leads to the liberation of oppressed sections.
JNU, as a premier institution is known for its intellectual calibre and so called progressiveness in the country. However, the campus still suffers from the casteist brand of student politics which is advocated by both left and right. Any university’s vision to achieve academic excellence is realized only when the education system and relations between individuals are democratized. For achieving this, student organizations play an important role implicitly and explicitly. Any organization which is striving to protect student rights should and must work within the boundaries of ideological conviction and commitment to lead students’ on a rightful path but not within the boundaries of opportunistic hegemony. Very sadly, the so-called student organizations and the administration on campus are two sides of the same coin. In other words, they maintain the social and administrative system with exclusionary, discriminatory ideologies/policies in order to ostracize the marginalized students’ community. One can easily identify the pseudo-secular forces and their activities on campus by examining historical developments, political culture practiced by the respective organizations, callousness towards students’ welfare policies i.e. in decision making and implementing and organizational structure/composition. On the contrary the BAPSA has been fighting for all students’ alike, to create an all-inclusive, democratic and egalitarian student community. BAPSA as an alternative brand of student politics strives to represent students from all marginalized sections to transform the JNU on the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity. We will not tolerate any misguiding acts by the casteist organizations which destroy the political harmony and academic excellence. We also strongly condemn the Communist-Gandhian-Communal forces which ruins Dr. Ambedkar’s struggle against “unjust” society.
Why is contesting election important for BAPSA?
“We must not only be staunch in our faith in democracy but we must resolve to see in whatever we do, we do not help the enemies of democracy to uproot the values of liberty, equality and fraternity.” —- Dr. Ambedkar (BRAWS Vol 17 (iii))
In India, Brahminism and Capitalism are the two biggest enemies of oppressed communities. Both are structured systems which survive and swell on the very basis of exploitation, oppression, subjugation and humiliation. The wedding of Brahminism with Capitalism gave rise to a very peculiar condition in India where particular communities have been victims ad infinitum. Brahminism has always been a dominant and hegemonic ideology in this land for centuries. The Right Wing which projects and propagates regressive and inhuman ideology has always distorted the reality and history of marginalized sections in order to preserve and protect Brahminism. The so-called Leftist- Progressive movements which always have claimed as the vanguards and liberating forcesof the oppressed sections have failed to address the question of caste both ideologically and politically and also refused to see the injustice that emanates from caste system. The leadership in the left mostly came from the upper castes, which conveniently ignored the caste question and also there was no genuine effort to deconstruct and dismantle the cultural and political hegemony of Brahminism. Ironically the regions which have been dominated by left politics have also witnessed flourishing of RSS, VHP and other communal and fascist forces.
Historically, on the other hand, the Bahujans (SC/ST/OBC/Religious Minorities) have always been fighting continuously against Brahminism and Capitalism taking inspiration from the radical ideologies of Birsa, Phule, Ambedkar and many other revolutionaries from the marginalized sections. As we know, the politics of this land has always been dominated by the upper castes and upper class. However, struggles led by Bahujans have changed the course of history. Both in the colonial and post-colonial period these struggles aimed at creating an autonomous and alternative politics different from so-called conservative and progressive politics. These struggles in post-colonial period with its ceaseless efforts have compelled various political organizations/parties to accommodate marginalized sections. Ironically the representatives in such organizations have remained merely as chamchas and are used to play politics of tokenism. But on the other side, the struggles led by oppressed sections created authentic voice for their emancipation which has directed them to form separate political and social organizations. And also the student politics in various universities are not different from those of various political parties like BJP, Congress and ‘various varieties of left’. Most of the student organisations that are offshoot wings of their mother organizations have always been the part of manipulation and distortion of the struggles led by oppressed sections within the campuses. For instance, student politics in JNU from its inception has always been dominated either by the discourse of left orright. This is quite similar to the situation at the national level. It is in this context that BAPSA is striving to create an alternative discourse to go beyond the rhetoric and wage struggle on the ground. BAPSA emerged as a student organisation to unite all the exploited communities so that we the marginalised can speak for ourselves inside the campus keeping in mind the larger society outside. We are committed not just to debunk the fallacy of both left and right but also to create an autonomous space for the marginalized sectionsin the larger political domain within the campus.
Our Agenda
• Ensure Minority Deprivation points.
• Reduction of viva marks from 30 to 10.
• Hostel Accommodation for SC, ST, OBC and Religious Minoritiesstudents on priority basis.
• Ensure the representation of SC/ST/Religious Minorities in GSCASH and strengthen GSCASH.
• Constitute Grievance redressal cell regarding forced dropout of SC/ST/OBC/Religious Minorities students.
• Establish new Centre for Minority Studies and Centre for Dalit and Adivasi Studies.
• Constitute separate Grievance redressal cell to address the issue of racial discrimination.
• Strengthen the Equal Opportunity Cell.
• Immediate construction of new hostels.
• Increase MCM fellowship
• Wi-Fi connectivity in all hostels.
• End the ‘diversion’ of allotted SC/ST/OBC special funds.
• Sensitize campus on the issues of LGBTQ.
• Immediate formation of JNU Press.
• Speedy disbursal of fellowship (OBCNF, RGNF, MANF) amount.
• Fulfil all the reserved seats (both students and faculty) in every centre/school.
• Provide safety and modern equipment to all the workers in JNU.
• Extension (duration) of fellowship for research scholars.
• 24*7 health care facilities and provide the health insurance policy to all students.
• Address the irregularity of the remedial coaching classes.
• Ensure separate study room for PWD students in hostels with computers and separate transport facility.
• Ensure eco-friendly transport system facility in campus.
Your Vote Is Precious. Make it Count! VOTE FOR BAPSA.
BAPSA believes in voicing the rights of the voiceless, which has been neglected and appropriated in JNU. We believe and promote in the unanimous voice of all depressed sections.
Vote not just for yourself, but for the larger interest of the students.
Vote not just for yourself, but to annihilate casteist-communal-patriarchal forces.
“Your (pseudo- egalitarians) intolerance is towards our mere existence but our intolerance is towards your oppression and irrationality”
~
Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association
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