Shiban Khaibri
Do the habitual subsidy “eating” students in the 47 year old Jawaharlal Nehru University want to teach us , the nation’s tax payers , to give and not count the cost ? Do they feel enjoying the indefinite immunity, perhaps learning by default, that subsidy was a two edged sword and once it was given , it was very hard to take it away without involving a political cost as a consideration? Were most of them thinking that the JNU was a place to live a comfortable life where unbelievably facilities like free lodging and free boarding, free water and free electricity, free education and free library were their guaranteed rights never to be revised and reviewed let alone hiked?
Let majority of the students and the liberal, democratic and Left leaning teachers in this University be sincere in going in retrospection to come out honestly and sincerely as to whether they were upholding the views of Jawaharlal Nehru after whose name the University is named when he said, “A University stands for humanism, for tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search for truth. It stands for the onward march of the human race towards ever higher objectives. If the University discharges its duties adequately , then it is well within the nation and the people.” Not only that , the vision and the mission of Jawaharlal University as stated in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Act 1966 is as , “The University shall endeavour to promote the study of the principles for which Jawaharlal Nehru worked during his life time -National Integration, Social justice, secularism, democratic way of life , international understanding and scientific approach to the problems of the society.” It is left to both the students and the teachers to find out the truth and self evaluate their response to the words of Jawaharlal Nehru and the Act governing the JNU.
Can it be believed that in the capital city of Delhi , a well furnished single occupancy room can cost a rent of just Rs.20 a month which means less than 75 paise per day ? Is it just believable or at best nothing less than a fairy tale that a double -seater room could be hired just for Rs.10 a month ? Electricity, water, maintenance , cleanliness and other services just absolutely free and not a single paise charged therefor? For News paper just paying Rs.50 annually which means just Rs.4.19 paise per month or 14 paise per day, all appearing a fiction rather than a reality. While a poor man who visits Delhi for even some medical treatment and not for any pleasure trip cannot get a room even in a Dharmshala for less than Rs.500 a day and slightly less in a dormitory, which in other words means a monthly rent of Rs. 15000, how does the tariff for students appear genuine in comparison ? This being a reality , it is beyond comprehension as to how can those students spearheading agitations , mostly belonging to Left political leaning and championing the cause of the poor and the less privileged inside and outside the campus , afford to be so much privileged by living and enjoying all free in JNU in the name of pursuing higher studies?
This University has ‘earned’ the title of being a hotbed of intellectual terrorism , that fact or charge notwithstanding , at least why are the intellectuals over there not making a case for lessening the burden on the exchequer by advocating paying at least 25% of the actual cost. Amount spent on unwarranted and non productive subsidies cannot obviously be advocated for whatever the cause or the purpose put forth in defence. At least, most of such intellectuals who are still fascinated with the Marxian ideology must share with those of their comrades – in arm students who are out for agitations and protests even at the drop of a hat that in Economics , one of the most important concepts is the “opportunity Cost” or an idea that once one spent money on something , one cannot spend it again on something else. By that simple logic , tax payers amount spent on the type of subsidies in the JNU was quite less productive and paid at the cost of other priorities. The oft agitating students need to know that for each and every service rendered in the University , cost thereof had to be calculated and the countrymen too must know that the tax payers’ money goes into paying a net subsidy of Rs. 3 lakhs for each and every student in the JNU annually ( figures as of 2018) . Every full time enrolled student of JNU receives financial assistance . The paradox and the height of things are that the students were complaining that they were not getting ‘cheap ‘ education or education imparted not even for a song . Not only this , in turn why should we ever unfortunately hear provocative, and anti national slogans and “Tukdey Tukdey Inshallah Inshallah” like seditious and disturbing cries.
Whatever was done by the students on the eve of the third convocation held on November 11 at the JNU which was addressed by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu who had to leave the venue when protesters wilfully and under a proper planning arrived at the venue, cannot be accepted, even in the least. Some students attending the convocation also shouted slogans from inside the gate of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) , the venue . Their parents who had gone there to attend the ceremony were stuck due to protests. That was the respect shown to the country’s Vice President at the venue. Human Resources Development Minister Ramesh Pokhrial was stuck inside for over six hours forcing him to cancel other two important scheduled events. The Minister was “allowed to leave” only at 4.30 PM. By the way whatever slogans the protesting students were raising ,the one “Police walon Key aik Beemari – Tis Hazari Tis Hazari” was both astonishing one as well as quite irrelevant with the “cause” they were pushing . Perhaps it could be demystified into having something got to do with the alleged clash of Police with the lawyers at the city’s Tis Hazari Court only a few days back. In fact, slogans in favour of the striking lawyers were also heard. That clearly indicates that most of them were interested in raking up issues extraneous to the campus and the JNU .
Cannot pity be taken on those tax payers, especially from the middle class, who religiously pay their taxes but obviously not for the whooping amount of the subsidies or the difference between the actual cost and the price charged for varied services provided to students in the JNU ? Why should the Hostel Manual not be followed in letter and spirit ? We , the ordinary citizens, want the JNU to emerge as a venerated institution of learning in the real sense. Blaming the present government always for reasons beyond common understanding should be seen in various perspectives looking to certain voices emerging not conducive to national interests from the campus though admittedly their number could be not more . Well, the same Government has rolled back appreciably the small hike announced recently in range of fee including surprisingly , rent for single and double rooms too . Conceding to just and genuine demands of the students must be the priority of the Government as the HRD Minister had already made it known that their grievances would be looked into but what we feel is not the ones with no justification should be met at any cost.
Changes, however, must visit this institution but not at the cost of its character, eminence and standard . The nation would stand benefitted if instead of too much of humanities and social sciences, natural sciences could dominate this prestigious institution as we need more technical hands to build this country into a modern and developed nation. Non serious students and those found more interested in politics must be weeded out without exception. About discipline and patriotism, there should be no compromise at all. The Vandalism of Swami Vivekananda’s bust in the JNU Campus by anti-social elements is highly condemnable. Any type of giving in before bullying tactics by the concerned authorities amounted to inaction and it should be remembered that the price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake.
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