KOCHI: Kochi’s Maharaja’s College, which is often in the news for physical confrontation between student outfits, is now witnessing an ‘ideological fight’ through banners. The four banners, in red and blue of SFI and KSU, at the historic main entrance of the college caught the eyes of onlookers.
The photos of the ‘banner war’ went viral on social media. Meanwhile, SFI decided to end this by its secretary P M Arsho posting on Facebook that there is no need to debate with any more banners above the banner of KSU at Maharaja’s. They have finally accepted the politics SFI had tried to make a debating point, he said on FB.
The ‘banner revolution’, as termed by the critics, began after SFI members put up a banner reading ‘Indirakku kazhinjittilla, Pinnalle Edenu’ (Even Indira couldn’t, then can Eden do it?) last week against Congress leader and Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden’s demand to ban SFI. Hibi raised the issue of an attack on a woman activist of KSU allegedly by SFI workers at Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram, in the Lok Sabha. According to the SFI workers, the banner was their political reply to Hibi’s action.
Subsequently, KSU members came up with another banner with the slogan ‘Janahrudayangalilanu Indirayum Edenum’ (Indira and Eden live in the hearts of the masses). Soon, SFI put up another red banner over it with the slogan ‘Athe, Janahrudayangalilanu Adiyanthiravasthayude Nerikedukaliloode...’ (Yes, it is in the hearts of the people through the grave violations of emergency).
Then came the latest KSU banner reading, ‘Vargeeyathayum Communisavum orumichu sramichittum India paranjathu India is Indira, Indira is India’ (Despite the joint attempts by communalism and communism, India said India is Indira, Indira is India).T Jayachandran (CICC Jayachandran) president of Maharaja’s College Old Students Association, is of the view that this propaganda is ideologically good.
He said he is waiting for more of such interesting banners. “The student outfits of Maharaja’s College created several slogans at all times. Don’t allow this to lead to a physical confrontation, though. It’s also democratic that the banners have not been destroyed,” he added.
SFI unit secretary Akhil Pushpan said,“The KSU responded that they are returning to the fascist era and not in a democratic way. Hence, we will not give them a reply.”KSU unit president Athul P P said if SFI comes up with such provocative slogans, they will respond in the same manner. “We are ready for an ideological debate,” he said.
Congress leader and MLA Roji M John said in his FB post that ideological debates make campus politics interesting. The banners were removed on Saturday by the police and KSEB officers as it was tied to electric posts.