Pinarayi Vijayan Condemns Kerala University's Move to Ban Student Political Activities

Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan has strongly condemned the Kerala University's move to prohibit student organisation activities. He said the attempt to drive politics and political awareness out of university campuses stems from a fear of a generation that questions authority.

He said it was clear that such decisions were part of an agenda pursued by those disturbed by student movements that have emerged across the country. He warned that Keralam would witness strong protests if those behind the “anti-democratic” decision did not withdraw it.

The Constitution grants every citizen who turns 18 the right to vote and determine the country's governance and elect its governments. Arguing that young people who are eligible to vote and help determine the country's future have no right to think, organise and respond politically in the educational institutions where they study is unconstitutional and amounts to complete depoliticisation, he said.

Colleges and student movements have played an unparalleled role in India's social and political development since the freedom struggle, Pinarayi Vijayan said. From the anti-British struggle to resistance against authoritarian moves in independent India, students have been at the forefront of major struggles. Campuses have also played a catalytic role in determining the country's political course at various stages, he said.

The move to completely prohibit political activities from campuses with such a historic tradition cannot be accepted, he said.

He said maintaining campuses as centres of ideological dialogue and fights for rights was essential for a democratic society. The wider public should come forward against orders that take away the constitutional democratic rights of students, he added.