Dipke Blames Money Power for DUSU Loss, Flags Student Suicides
Abhijeet Dipke says money drives student elections and alleges RSS influence in universities, while flagging the IIT Bombay death and MPSC protests.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convenor Abhijeet Dipke has alleged that money power is the deciding factor in student elections, pointing to the recent Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) results in which the ABVP won three of the four central panel posts.
The ABVP, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), secured the president, secretary and joint secretary positions. The Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI) drew a blank in the central panel. The polls were held in the wake of recent CJP-led Gen Z protests.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, Mr. Dipke claimed that campaigners in Delhi University arrive in luxury vehicles worth crores of rupees. "Money works in elections and nothing else," he said, adding that those who campaign in DU come in Rolls Royce, Audi and BMW cars.
He echoed concerns raised by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who has alleged that the BJP-led government promotes people with ideological affiliations. Mr. Dipke cited Amravati, claiming that Vice Chancellor Kumud Sharma of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, Wardha, comes from the RSS ideology. He alleged that since her appointment, FIRs have been registered against more than 50 students.
"When students protest for something, an FIR is registered against them. But when ABVP opposes something or locks any gate, no FIR is registered against them. Only Dalit, Adivasi students who oppose the ideology are booked," he charged, describing it as a roadmap to turn universities into an RSS shakha.
Mr. Dipke said students are losing faith in the education system. He pointed to the ongoing agitation by Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants demanding the resignation of MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar over corruption allegations. He questioned how students could trust that examinations would be conducted transparently until Bhimanwar steps down.
The CJP, along with MPSC aspirants, will soon launch an online campaign titled 'Bhimanwar Rajinama Dya' (Bhimanwar resign), in which students will explain who Bhimanwar is, his "achievements", his relationship with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and why he should resign, Mr. Dipke said.
On the death of an IIT Bombay student last week, he said the incident cannot be justified merely because the student was caught cheating. The student was found dead on Friday evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination, according to officials.
"The suicide incident at IIT Bombay is painful. This is a result of students losing faith in the education system. Children are dying in backward areas as well as big cities. They are committing suicide because they feel that no one is there to support them," Mr. Dipke claimed.
He argued that suicide cannot be justified if a student is caught cheating, asking whether a minister ever committed suicide after being caught in corruption, or a businessman who looted a bank and fled. He stressed that mental health counselling is more important, adding that the mistake was not grave enough to warrant suicide.
Recalling his recent tour of Vidarbha, where he visited tribal schools, Mr. Dipke alleged that students are not being given proper facilities. He said ashram schools receive large amounts of funds, yet after three students died of snakebite in Gadchiroli, beds are still not provided and students sleep on the ground. Girls had to bathe in the open, and the boys' bathroom had no roof or doors, he claimed.
"If you cannot give a dignified education, then for what reason are you sitting in power?" he asked, targeting the government. He said the 'Adivasi School Thik Karo' campaign will continue and expand nationwide, adding that he has visited parts of Maharashtra and will also go to Gujarat.
On the Election Commission's decision to freeze the name and symbol of the Trinamool Congress, Mr. Dipke said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should join the ruling BJP, dissolve all Opposition parties and freeze their symbols. "One party will contest, and one party will win elections," he quipped.