The All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) on Wednesday announced an alliance to contest the upcoming Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election.
In a joint statement, the two Left outfits said the alliance was being formed against the backdrop of sustained student protests led by the SFI and AISA, which, they claimed, had culminated in the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
“It is this renewed political energy that has now entered the Delhi University campus. Students are responding positively to the SFI-AISA campaign that puts their real concerns at the centre and challenges the money and muscle politics represented by ABVP and NSUI,” they said.
The outfits also cited the recent building collapse at Satya Niketan, saying it had exposed the unsafe conditions in which students were expected to live and further sharpened student anger.
The two outfits had contested the DUSU elections together last year. They are seeking to challenge the dominance of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) in the students’ union. Three of the four members of the current central panel are from the ABVP and one is from the NSUI.
The alliance will campaign on issues including affordable and safe student housing, concessional Metro passes, no fee hikes, quality public education and academic freedom.
“The alliance will take forward a programme centred on Hostels for All, affordable and safe student housing, concessional Metro passes, no fee hikes, quality public education, academic freedom and opposition to the saffronisation of education,” the joint statement said.
