JNUSU polls: Aspirants debate on Vemula, Ambedkar, nationalism

Rohith Vemula's suicide, sedition row, nationalism and B R Ambedkar's vision were some of the topics that were part of the high-voltage JNU presidential debate ahead its students' union election.
The night-long event, conducted in the US presidential debate-style and considered a deciding factor for the polls, was held here yesterday with five candidates battling it out for the post of JNUSU president presenting their views.
While all the candidates claimed a stake in the movement following Hyderabad University Dalit scholar Vemula's suicide, there was a fight over who follows Ambedkarite politics for installing the visionary's statues on campus.
Mohit Pandey, candidate of the "Left unity" alliance, spoke of the celebrated "Stand with JNU" movement and "Occupy UGC" protests.

Besides coming down heavily on the government over its handling of the sedition row, Pandey's speech, laced with aggression and a pinch of humour, also had a mention of BJP MLA Gyandev Ahuja's "condom-counting" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi featuring in a Reliance advertisement.
"He (Modi) has moved from being Pradhan Sevak to Pradhan model," the president-aspirant said during the speech.

BAPSA's candidate Rahul Sonpimple began his speech by extending support to the people in Kashmir Valley and went on to talk about the LGBT community and its efforts to make India reflect upon IPC Section 377.
He too touched upon the Vemula case and the recent arguments involving whether he belonged to the Dalit or the OBC community saying, the focus of the debate needs to be more on the reasons behind his suicide.

He made strong promises like changing the "anti-national" perception associated with the Left-wing politics and ensuring a fall in the drop-out rates, especially by women and students from the minority communities.