JNUSU criticises JNU V-C for ‘freeloaders’ remark
NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) criticised Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit for her comment about “freeloaders on campus,” accusing her of neglecting to address “slanderous narratives” in certain films that target the university.
In an open letter to the VC, the union claimed she “conveniently” ignores the “lavish perks enjoyed by certain politically favoured groups on campus,” suggesting that she might be the real “freeloader”, not the students.
“Who’s the real freeloader here? Is it the students and faculty striving for academic excellence, or perhaps it is you who is occupying the VC’s office, earning a salary from the taxpayers’ dime while failing to fulfill your responsibilities to the university community?” the open letter released Monday late night read.
Pandit in an interview with PTI had said the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has a problem of “freeloaders” - both overstaying students and
illegal guests - and the administration is now tightening the noose on them.
The JNUSU urged the VC to introspect and reconsider her statement on the characterisation of students as “freeloaders”. The union also accused Pandit of favouritism and allowing RSS-backed events on campus.
“It is concerning that while you accuse students of being freeloaders, RSS-affiliated events enjoy unrestricted access to campus facilities, including classrooms, auditoriums, convention centre, and lawns without so much as a penny exchanged. This double standard is glaring, especially when students have to protest merely to access basic resources, only to get issued proctorial notices,” the letter read.
“The taxpayers’ money should indeed be utilised for education and research, not for propagating ideological agendas under the guise of academic activities,” the union added. The JNUSU further accused Pandit of recruiting substandard faculty and asserted, “We are not freeloaders. You are wasting taxpayers’ money by recruiting substandard faculty and not ensuring a conducive environment for us (students) to study.”
It also criticised Pandit for being “silent” on defamatory films targeting JNU students such as ‘Bastar’ and ‘Jahangir National University’ which allegedly show the varsity in negative light.
