Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)students and administration have been engaged in a fresh standoff over increase in hostel fee and a new manual of rules. JNU students’ union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh spoke to Hindustan Times on what led to the protests. Excerpts:
Q. What are your major demands?
A. We demand a roll back of the new hostel manual. We want the administration to hold a fresh meeting to discuss the hostel rules. We want to have a dialogue with the vice-chancellor.
Q.The hostel fee is being revised after three decades. Don’t you think it’s only fair to revise the rates for better maintenance and facilities?
A.I agree the revision is happening after long. However, the administration needs to consult the student community and have a meeting regarding the fee hike. Also, JNU is a public-funded university; it gets funds from the MHRD. Even if the room rent was ₹10, what is the logic behind increasing this to ₹300?
Q. Even after the union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal had assured students of a dialogue, why did you insist on the protest to be extended?
A.We have got assurance over the fee hike issue from the minister. However, the vice-chancellor, who is supposed to understand the issues on campus, has been evading the issue for the past one month. He has not come to the university since. Had he discussed the issue with us earlier, there would have been no need for us to protest here.
Q.What is your next step?
A. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a holiday. We have called for a meeting and will let the press know as and when we decide on the future course of action.
