Keralam Higher Education Minister Roji M John on Sunday said there was no move to ban student politics at Kerala University, and described reports claiming otherwise as factually incorrect. He said a leaked draft under discussion had been wrongly presented as a final decision of the university.
John said the draft Code of Conduct on student politics was only at the discussion stage before a syndicate sub-committee, and had not been approved by the university syndicate. He also said the government’s stand was clear that student politics should be encouraged on campuses.
Responding to reporters, the minister said several public interest litigations were filed in the Kerala High Court after the murder of student Abhimanyu at Maharaja’s College in Kochi.
He said the court then directed universities to frame guidelines on student politics on campuses, and also observed that guidelines prepared by MG University in 2005 could be followed or used as a model.
John said that, following repeated directions from the court, Kerala University appointed a syndicate sub-committee to frame guidelines on the issue.
According to him, the sub-committee then asked the university’s legal department to prepare a draft for discussion. “The legal department merely forwarded a document for discussion by the syndicate sub-committee. It included the draft prepared by MG University in 2005,” he said.
He said the sub-committee would examine the draft and suggest changes. “After proposing the amendments, the decision taken at the recent syndicate meeting was that, with the approval of the sub-committee, the draft should be sent to all student organisations,” he said.
John said the views of all student organisations would be heard before any further step was taken. After those suggestions were incorporated, the sub-committee would discuss the draft again and submit it to the syndicate, he said.
“Only when the syndicate discusses and approves it will it become an official guideline or decision of the university regarding student politics,” John said.
He said some people had drawn conclusions after seeing the draft and had spread false claims that the university was going to ban student politics.
“I can assure you one thing. As far as this government is concerned, our stance is very clear. This government’s stance is that student politics must be encouraged on campuses,” he said.
John said he had entered politics as an ordinary worker of the Kerala Students Union, later became a college union chairman, a union councillor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and eventually the national president of the student organisation.
He said many leaders now at the forefront of political movements in Kerala had entered politics through student organisations.
“What we need on campuses is not just issuing degrees or teaching a syllabus. Students must discuss politics on campuses, understand politics and be part of the democratic process,” he said.
He added that the government’s position was clear that students should have the right to take part in campus politics.
“If a student at the age of 18 has the right to participate in the country’s democratic process by voting to decide our MLA, minister, chief minister and prime minister, that student has full rights to decide the politics of their campus, elect union representatives and be a part of that politics,” he said.
“That is our belief. We will not budge even an inch from that stance. Our position is that student politics must exist on campuses, with no compromise whatsoever,” he added.
John said the draft sent for discussion had been leaked and was being projected as a final decision. “Beyond that, no action to ban student politics will ever happen during the tenure of this government,” he said.
Asked whether the recommendations in the draft were anti-democratic, John said they were guidelines issued by MG University in 2005. “There were differences of opinion regarding those recommendations even back then. The court had mentioned in its directive that this should be considered. So naturally, it comes up for discussion,” he said.
He said what had come before the syndicate was only a discussion based on the old draft. He also accused some media outlets of misinforming the public by reporting the draft as a final decision.
“Reacting to that without verifying facts, like the saying ‘jumping to conclusions on rumours’, the Leader of the Opposition and some CPI(M) leaders are issuing statements. Shouldn’t they verify the facts first?” he asked.
John also said the syndicate sub-committee examining the draft did not consist only of members aligned with the ruling party. “You must understand one more thing: the syndicate sub-committee discussing this does not consist only of people aligned with the ruling party. It includes members aligned with the Leader of the Opposition’s party as well,” he said.
He added that the draft had only been sent by the university’s legal department to a sub-committee that included members from different political backgrounds.
The minister said it would have been better if critics had first checked the facts before making statements on the issue.
The draft has drawn objections from the Opposition, the Left-aligned university employees’ union and student organisations, including SFI and KSU, but John maintained that no decision to ban student politics had been taken and that the draft remained under discussion.
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