Chandigarh: Ambedkar movement yet to gain steam in colleges

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Even though Panjab University, Chandigarh, does have an Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA), other universities in the state like Punjabi University, Patiala, and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, lack such student groups.

Celebrating Ambedkar Jayanti on the PU campus on Thursday, ASA president Vijay Kumar told the Chandigarh Newsline: “We take inspiration from the ideas of equality that Ambedkar propagated in the Indian society. In the current scenario, there is an increased relevance of Ambedkarite ideas. However, we do not stand in favour of any political propaganda, which is why there is no left or right inclination among students of our association. Under the RSS ideologies, a negative environment is being created in universities across India.”

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“We do extensively read about Ambedkar and strongly believe in his ideals. Constructive debates are conducted on his ideologies and we also draw comparative conclusions with the ideologies of other leaders. We also try to take back these ideas to our respective villages to create awareness,” another member of ASA said.

Academicians in the region believe that the low rate of student participation in the ongoing Ambedkar movement across the country can be attributed to the fact that despite having the maximum percentage of Dalits in the state, there is significantly less composition of Dalit students at universities like PU and Punjabi University.

Chaman Lal from Jawaharlal Nehru University said: “Across state universities in Punjab, there is a higher composition of Jats than Dalits. Further, central universities like JNU offer better financial support to Dalit students, which explains the higher composition of students from backward classes at such varsities.”

“At institutions of higher education in areas like Patiala, Amritsar and Chandigarh, the enrollment of Dalit students is significantly less, which contributes to the absence of a strong Dalit-led Ambedkar movement on campuses of Punjab,” added Lal.

Even though the ASA was founded in 2001 at PU, the group is yet to get actively involved in the social and political opinion-making process unlike other Ambedkar groups at universities across the country.

The ASA has about 120 active participants that participate in student-led seminars and campaigns. However, in comparison to other universities like University of Hyderabad and Jawaharlal Nehru University, which are taking a lead in invoking the Ambedkarite ideologies, students of Punjab seem to have taken a back seat.

Lesser political consciousness has also come across as another reason for the absence of a revolutionary Ambedkarite movement in colleges of Punjab. “At universities like PU, there is a rise in the left-wing communism. But there is no widespread Marxist or Ambedkarite movement. Left groups do propagate some of the ideas of Ambedkar, but a Dalit-community-led radicalisation is not prominent,” said Lal.

Students from Panjab University’s National Students’ Union of India took the lead and visited the JNU and UoH campuses during the Rohith Vemula controversy that highlighted casteism in the education sector.

Agreeing that there is an absence of a strong base for Ambedkar-led associations in the state, director of Dr BR Ambedkar Centre at PU Emanual Nahar said: “Perhaps, one of the reasons why this movement is not so visible at PU is because a separate grievance committee for SC/ST and OBC students is already there at the varsity and is quite proactive. Any problems that the students face are brought to the notice of the committee, which initiates timely action. There have been no reported incidents of discrimination on the basis of caste in universities across Punjab.”

Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of students taking interest in Ambedkar, Nahar added.

“At a national level, if you look at the trend that is going on in Indian universities, ideas of Bhagat Singh and Dr B R Ambedkar seem to be coming together to form a new movement. And if this trend strengthens in universities like JNU, it is very likely that students of universities in Punjab will eventually get involved in this radical movement,” said Lal.

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