Why are you calling your panel ‘inclusive’? What makes your panel special?
Diversity in the top three posts. I am contesting for VP (vice-president); the GS (general secretary) candidate is a former coordinator, and the AGS (assistant general secretary) candidate is both a club activist and a Shibir organiser. Besides, we have included July uprising fighters and injured activists, literary and cultural workers, Hindu students, and three women.
Your panel has only three women, including two in obligatory positions. Is this sufficient to represent the female students? What are your plans to attract their votes?
We have three female students on our panel. According to the voter list, 38 per cent of the students are female. Compared to DUCSU and JUCSU, we are receiving greater response from them. Since no one showed interest in contesting for top posts, we could not field women candidates there.
If we also say specifically that the administration is helping Chhatra Dal and pushing their agenda, it would just be mudslinging.
Why should students vote for you?
The strength of our panel is inclusivity. We haven’t chosen people randomly or just because they are Shibir members. Whether someone is with Shibir or not, they had to prove their competence and leadership qualities to be included.
Even before the campaign officially started, you have been accused of distributing various ‘gifts’ among students. What is your response to that?
This is nothing new for us. For instance, we are distributing attar right now, earlier we gave away Qurans and Islamic books. Students accepted these without any hesitation. Others criticise because they cannot provide anything. We are doing this remaining within the rules of conduct.
Even before the campaign officially started, you have been accused of distributing various ‘gifts’ among students. What is your response to that?
This is nothing new for us. For instance, we are distributing attar right now, earlier we gave away Qurans and Islamic books. Students accepted these without any hesitation. Others criticise because they cannot provide anything. We are doing this remaining within the rules of conduct.
Other organisations allege that the university administration is implementing Shibir’s agenda. What do you have to say to that?
If we also say specifically that the administration is helping Chhatra Dal and pushing their agenda, it would just be mudslinging. To maintain an electoral environment, we don’t want to accuse any organisation. We just want a fair and pleasant atmosphere.
Our organisation was founded in 1977, so we have nothing to say about the role in 1971. But we embrace the spirit of ’71 as well as ’24.
Do you have anything to say about the recurring debates over ’71 and ’24?
Instead of repeatedly criticising each other or reviewing an issue from the past, we need to move forward. Our organisation was founded in 1977, so we have nothing to say about the role in 1971. But we embrace the spirit of ’71 as well as ’24.
How confident are you about winning?
Students here love Islam. But we don’t want to impose the ideology. We want the students to discuss the positive aspects of our work without tagging (labelling) us. They have been seeing us from the beginning. The long-held myth has been broken, and now students are embracing us.