THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After hammering on Law Academy Law College for 21 long days, the largest students’ outfit in the state - the Students Federation of India - has virtually cut a sorry figure. Under pressure from the party leadership, the SFI was more than willing to grasp at straws that came its way.
The students’ uprising, which also brought to the fore the rift between the two communist parties -- the CPM and the CPI-- took a new turn with the SFI calling it quits, while others including the AISF, KSU and ABVP royally cashing in on the scenario.
In a way the strike also exposed the CPM’s failure to tackle the students’ agitation.
“Initially, when the students launched the agitation, the SFI was not around. After three days, they joined the fray. It should be suspected whether the SFI came to warpath to support the management and to protect its interests. That’s why it went for separate talks with the management and now claim that all its demands were accepted,” opined AIYF state secretary Mahesh Kakkath.
With the SFI backing out from the agitations, claiming all demands have been met, others - backed by their respective political godfathers - have intensified the strike. The Law Academy’s unholy relations with the CPM leadership is no secret. Hence the SFI has been under pressure throughout the strike. The undue haste in which the SFI packed its bags from the striking camp was tantamount to the parent party’s leniency to the institute.
Visiting the students the other day, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan dubbed the agitation a ‘students’ strike’ and warned against attempts to politicise it. The SFI went to the extent of basking in on the brownie points it scored from the talks with the management.
The CPI, on the other hand, was worried that the BJP may hijack the strike. That’s why the AIYF staged dharna in front of the Academy for a day, and later decided to continue with the same.
Other students’ outfits might be struggling to find a space and that’s why they are continuing with the agitations, said SFI state president Jaick C Thomas, rubbishing rumours that the CPM had directed them to wind up the strike.