SFI makes a clean sweep in Calicut university union poll

Students Federation of India (SFI) made a near-clean sweep in the Calicut University union elections  held on 7th of July, 2012 by winning nine of the 10 seats for which the polls were held. SFI candidates won in all the five Central Posts. SFI won all the seats except that of the district executive member from Malappuram which was won by the Kerala Student Union (KSU)-Muslim Students Federation (MSF) combine. SFI has been continuing its unbroken winning streak in the CU union elections since 2002.

The newly elected office bearers are: Chairman- M Sameesh ( Guruvayoorappan College, Kozhikode); vice chairman- Anson C Joy (Kerala Varma College, Thrissur); lady vice chairman- P Athira (NSS College, Manjeri); general secretary- C Anoop (Sree Krishna College, Guruvayoor) and joint secretary- P Lakshmi (Marthoma College, Chungathara).

The five university office bearers and five district executive members were elected by the 227 university union councillors from the colleges under the university in the five districts.

The CEC of SFI congratulates the students of Calicut University and Kerala SFI for registering such an emphatic victory braving and overcoming all sorts of malicious campaigns related with the murder of T.P.Chandrasekharan, unleashed by the Kerala Students Union and Muslim Students Federation with the help of right wing and corporate media.

This enormous victory is a tremendous source of inspiration for the entire democratic progressive student movement in the country. The valiant comrades of Kerala will go on to inspire all struggles fought against oppression, repression, dominance and vulgar campaigns. The entire rank and file of SFI is proud at this great victory.

The SFI CEC once again congratulates the students of Calicut University and the state unit of Kerala for registering such a massive win and making the entire organization proud.

CITU AP State Conference

Tripura chief minister and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Manik Sarkar has said that there is a  distinct possibility of realignment of political forces in the country after the presidential polls in view of the current situation where both Congress and BJP are losing ground in many states. He asserted that only Left and democratic forces, which have consistently fought against neo-liberal policies, can be the real alternative to Congress and BJP.

Sarkar was addressing a huge public meeting in Hyderabad marking the successful conclusion of the 13th state conference of CITU. Sarkar said the regional political parties that are emerging in the states can grow stronger only if they are really serious about solving people's problems instead of supporting neo-liberal policies and if they do not indulge in political opportunism.

Sarkar said the country and its people are going through difficult times with spiralling price rise, agrarian distress, farmer suicides, faltering economy etc. The UPA government is steeped in unprecedented corruption involving lakhs of crores of rupees and this phenomenon is clearly a result of neo-liberal economic policies. Yet it is stubbornly refusing to provide any sort of relief to people in the form of universal PDS, remunerative procurement of crops etc. The government it appears is only acting in favour of monopoly corporate houses, money-lenders, blackmarketeers etc and leaving the farmers, workers, agricultural labour in distress. With the prime minister taking over as finance minister also, there could be intensified attacks on the working class in the coming period, he felt.

Expressing serious concern at the growing unemployment in the country, the Tripura chief minister said that as per some estimates the number of unemployed could be around 17 crore. With the agrarian sector also in the doldrums, more number are joining this lot. In view of this there is falling demand for industrial products leading to closure of industries and a further rise in unemployment. Sarkar cited how the central government was not filling up the nearly 40 lakh vacant posts in government. Moreover it is insisting on state governments also not to fill vacant posts or create new posts. The Left Front government of Tripura has disregarded this advice even risking cut in funds and is recruiting people into government jobs, he said.

Manik Sarkar concluded his speech by calling on CITU to lead united working class struggles to provide relief to the suffering common people and strengthen the Left and democratic alternative in the country.

CITU all India president A K Padmanabhan greeted the people in a short speech in Telugu. CITU secretary Dr K Hemalata said the central trade unions are contemplating holding of all India general strikes for more than one day in the coming period because successive one-day general strikes have not been able to pressurise the government against pursuing anti-people policies.

Among those who addressed the meeting included CITU newly elected president P Saibabu and general secretary R Sudha Bhasker, outgoing president S Veeraiah and others.

Earlier, a huge rally was taken out from Sundarayya Vignana Kendram, Baghlingampally to Indira Park, the venue of public meeting.