Reviving students’ unions

The Congress government in Karnataka is considering revival of campus elections in the state which were discontinued in 1989 by the then chief minister Veerendra Patil. The party unit in the state has been directed by Rahul Gandhi to revive the students' union elections in the hope that it will allow the party to build grassroot leadership, whose absence deprived the party of a fresh breed of workers and leaders.

Even as extremist organisations such as the RSS or PFI induct fresh blood through their work among the masses, the main- stream political parties such as the Congress or parties of Janata genre have to rely upon the common masses for cadre expansion or to identify leadership material.

The 35-year hiatus between 1989 and now has led to a shift in paradigm. Government colleges are no longer the mainstay of youth who are more influential and resourceful. Similarly economic liberalisation has also shifted the ideological axis from politics to economy.

Youth are more engaged in pursuit of careers. Ideology has taken a back seat. While this may be a valid reason for there being no demand for revival of campus unions, one cannot deny that these unions acted as incubators for future political leaders. In the absence of campus politics, the state has seen dynasties emerging from political families, a trend not to everyone’s liking.

Yet the revival of union politics is fraught with the risk of play of money, muscle power and ingress of anti-social elements in campus life. While the government colleges will embrace the idea in the first instance, it may not be approved of by umpteen number of private-run educational institutions.

Considerable thought must be spared how to keep away undesirable influences on youth.