Row over Rahul's DU visit: NSUI slams ABVP for 'unrest' on campus

New Delhi: The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) on Tuesday staged a protest accusing the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of creating unrest on the Delhi University campus following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit.

The protest by NSUI, the Congress' student wing, took place a day after the RSS-affiliated ABVP held a march and one of its leaders allegedly smeared cow dung on Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) president Ronak Khatri's office.

Gandhi’s unannounced visit to the North Campus on May 22 has triggered a row, with DU authorities saying the visit "disrupted" governance operations and did not follow standard procedures.

Addressing a press conference at the DUSU office, NSUI leaders and office bearers alleged that since Rahul Gandhi met SC, ST, and OBC students at the DUSU building, the ABVP has been “spreading chaos” inside the union office and across the campus.

“There is a clear attempt to polarise the university and derail the conversation from student issues,” said NSUI Delhi president Ashish Lamba. “The behaviour of ABVP members with our president is condemnable.”

NSUI members burnt a symbolic RSS uniform, chanted ‘Rahul Gandhi zindabad’, and raised slogans against ABVP. They also allegedly vandalised a hoarding put up by ABVP targeting Gandhi and said that these acts were a response to ABVP’s "continuous provocation and false accusations".

“Today, we have burnt RSS's uniform and shown that this country will not be run by the Sanghi ideology. All students have their own independent ideology and we must support that,” said Akhilesh Yadav, another NSUI leader.

"Since Rahul Gandhi visited and spoke to marginalised students, the RSS has been trying to malign our leaders. Meanwhile, real issues like lack of drinking water, poor infrastructure, flawed professor appointments and PhD admissions are being ignored," Yadav claimed.

He further alleged that students were being "forcibly sent to RSS shakhas" and that NSUI stood for mutual respect, brotherhood, and democratic rights.

Namrata Jeph, who contested against ABVP’s Mitravinda in the DUSU elections, dismissed the latter’s allegations that she was denied entry into the office.

"We support women’s empowerment, but she is using the women’s card for political mileage. Menstrual leave is part of our manifesto, it’s already been implemented in Panjab University,” she said.

“If she really cares, she should join us in this fight. We should work together as students, not as ABVP or NSUI, and focus on real problems.” Jeph added.

Lokesh Choudhary, an NSUI member, said that the press conference was meant to condemn ABVP’s "continuous character assassination" of NSUI leaders.

"They are scared that Dalit students will demand their rights. Every time we raise issues, they resort to creating unrest," he said.