JNU V-C’s remarks on UGC equity rules stir row on campus

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) on Friday termed Vice Chancellor Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit’s comments purportedly made during a recent podcast as “blatantly casteist” and demanded her resignation, even as she refuted the allegation and said her remarks were taken out of context.

Demanding a public apology, the JNUSU has called for a nationwide protest on Sunday.

The controversy stems from the podcast released on February 16 in which the V-C spoke about various issues, including the ongoing row over JNUSU office-bearers’ rustication over a protest against surveillance in the library, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) equity regulations, which were stayed by the Supreme Court last month.

In the podcast, the V-C could be heard purportedly saying, “You cannot progress by being permanently a victim or playing the victim card. This was done for the Blacks; the same thing was brought for Dalits here. By making somebody a devil, it is not easy to progress. It is a temporary type of drug [sic]”. She also said that imaginary worlds are created in the name of “wokeism”.

In a statement, the students’ union said: “The JNUSU condemns the blatantly casteist statements made by the V-C of a premier public university.”

Refuting the allegations, Ms. Pandit told The Hindu that she did not mean it and was merely replicating the criticisms made by people who oppose “wokeism”.

Responding to the outrage over her stance on the UGC equity rules, Ms. Pandit said, “When it (UGC regulations) was criticised, I felt the whole controversy was unnecessary and there is suspicion that due diligence was not put in. This is the perception. I am a Bahujan myself.”

In response to the V-C’s comments, JNUSU joint secretary Danish Ali, one of the four office-bearers rusticated for two semesters, said, “You need to realise that we live in a country where there is caste-based discrimination every single day. Many students from marginalised communities face discrimination on campuses…”