Neha Bora on Jantar Mantar Protests, JNU, Umar Khalid and the Left | Exclusive Interview

and job aspirants in Jharkhand.

In this exclusive interview with The Indian Express, Bora speaks about the Jantar Mantar movement, the Jharkhand protests, the politics of the “Azadi” slogan, Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU’s) changing political culture and the Left’s place in Indian politics.

Bora addresses the questions surrounding her presence at the Jharkhand protests and explains why AISA mobilised for the August 7 protest despite a separate call for August 10. She also discusses her organisation’s association with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), saying AISA would work with the group again “as long as they're working for the people”.
A PhD scholar at JNU's School of Arts and Aesthetics, Bora was among the student leaders who joined education reformer Sonam Wangchuk in an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. The protest, led by the CJP, began around concerns over examination irregularities and later expanded into wider questions around education, government accountability and the treatment of protesters.
She returned to the spotlight in Jharkhand, where students and job aspirants have been protesting alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). During a demonstration in Ranchi, an unidentified man allegedly threw ink at Bora. She later said she wore the ink “with pride” and that attempts to silence the student movement would not work.
In this wide-ranging conversation with The Indian Express, Bora speaks about her political ambitions, the Jharkhand agitation, AISA and the Left, JNU’s political culture, the “Azadi” slogan, the idea of a “leaderless” movement, Naxalbari, student politics and Umar Khalid.
Interviewed by Syed Ilham Jafri for The Indian Express.