Date:23/11/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/11/23/stories/2005112312050300.htm

New Delhi

Impeachment of JNUSU head to be opposed by union

Staff Reporter

SFI, AISF appeal to defeat the controversial censure motion

For the first time a president is facing a censure motion

NSUI initiates signature campaign on this issue

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) at its council meeting held this past weekend passed a censure motion against the union president Mona Das for her "irresponsible role'' in the disruptions caused during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the campus last week and called for a University General Body Meeting (UGBM) on November 26 to discuss the impeachment motion called against her.

This is the first time that a JNUSU president would face an impeachment motion. The SFI-AISF dominated union, however, maintained that the UGBM had been called only on the basis of a signature campaign submitted by over 1,000 students, and would be opposed by the union.

Although Mona Das -- absent from the campus till now -- is reported to have returned to the University -- she remained inaccessible, with students waiting with anticipation for her stand on the issue. The AISF, for its part, said it was confident that the impeachment motion would be defeated.

While condemning Mona Das for the gross negligence shown by her by being absent from the campus during the period and not communicating her stand, the SFI-AISF combine has appealed to the student community to defeat the motion.

"We are completely opposed to the impeachment as it would only result in dividing the students and make the administration stronger. She is a democratically elected representative of the students, and to remove her would only strengthen the administration's demand for a model code of protest, which we are against,'' said Rohit, former JNUSU president and SFI member.

The union council meeting, held late on Saturday night, saw a censure motion being passed against Mona Das, with the council's resolution noting that "the absence of the JNUSU president from campus without any explanation and communication to the student community is considered to be an act of irresponsibility by the JNUSU Council''.

The large number of signature campaign on this issue was initiated by the NSUI. The large number of signatures that have been submitted does reflect genuine anger within the student community against the role of the JNUSU president. "However, the SFI-AISF feels that an impeachment motion against the president on this issue is an exaggerated response to the incidents that have happened over the past few days,'' the SFI-AISF said in a statement issued by it.