Ties with Yogi govt unshakable, saysABVP national secy after lathicharge | Lucknow News

Lucknow: Even as it staged a torch procession (mashaal juloos) as part of a state wide demonstration against the lathi-charge by police on its members and alleged irregularities in conduct of law course by Shri Ram Swaroop Memorial University (SRSMU), the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of RSS, maintained that its relations with the ruling BJP in UP and the Yogi Aditaynath government were “unshakable” and would never sour even a bit.The parishad, at the same time, apprehended involvement of the opposition, which it said, seem to have “planted” its men during its agitation against UP minister and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, an ally of BJP, over his controversial remarks labelling the outfit’s members as “goons”.“Yogi is a mature neta and his government has initiated action against police by suspending an SO and three constables. There isn’t and won’t be any element of animosity with the BJP and the CM. Our grudge is just against the police and the university administration. We stand for the students and will continue to do so,” said ABVP national secretary Ankit Shukla while speaking to TOI on Friday.ABVP positioning highlighted a balancing act even as it reaffirmed its unwavering loyalty to the ruling BJP and Yogi. Experts said that the ABVP wanted to confine its protest to the university administration and local police, carefully avoiding direct confrontation with the government. “By doing so, it protects its relationship with the BJP, which is central to its identity as the RSS’s student wing,” an analyst said.At the same time, ABVP sought to avoid giving opposition parties an opening to exploit the unrest. By underscoring “opposition infiltration” in the protest, the student wing may well be seeking to turn the narrative against rivals rather than the government, an expert said.The ABVP has given a 48-hour ultimatum to the state government vis-à-vis a host of demands after which the outfit has threatened to stage a statewide demonstration. The demands include registration of cases and ensure strict action against the police personnel and “hired goons” who were involved in the lathi-charge on ABVP members, a high-level inquiry into the illegal operation of the law course, punish the responsible university officials, and shut down the university.The ABVP also demanded investigation into collection of late fees, social welfare charges, and other alleged illegal monetary extortions by the university. It sought to make the report public and punish those responsible for the unlawful expulsion of students without prior notice. The outfit also made a vociferous demand for a strict action against the university on the basis of the FIR lodged by the secretary of the higher education council.The ABVP simultaneously called for immediate implementation of the Tehsildar Court’s order seeking removal of “illegal encroachment of nearly 6 bighas of government land” by the university and enforcement of a fine of Rs 27.96 lakh, including demolition of the illegal constructions of the university administration.Shukla said that ABVP’s 48-hour deadline in favour of its demand would end on Saturday. “If the demands are not met we will intensify the agitation,” he said.The ABVP national secretary said that the SBSP chief should have exercised restraint before passing any derogatory comment on organisation members. He, however, expressed satisfaction over SBSP national general secretary Arvind Rajbhar expression of solidarity with the students.“The action and lathicharge by the administration on LLB students affiliated to ABVP in SRMSU is extremely reprehensible and shameful. ABVP has always worked in the interest of students. This type of behavior with students studying in the temple of education cannot be justified from any point of view,” Arvind said, adding that the lathicharge to suppress the voices of students was a blatant violation of democratic values. “The problems of students should be solved through dialogue and conversation, not by the use of force,” he added.He said that the university administration conducting LLB courses without proper permission and recognition amounts to tampering with the future of the students. “When educational institutions themselves are involved in such irregularities, then the students will feel insecure about their future. This is not just an academic mistake, but a blow to the dreams and career of the coming generation,” he said.Shukla said that after OP Rajbhar’s remarks, the ABVP held a protest at a distance from the minister’s official residence. “But when we reached there we saw a group of students already arguing with the police. We do not know who they were. May be people of any opposition parties who wanted to take advantage of the situation,” Shukla said.