PUSU general secretary refuses to take oath over hostel issue
Newly-elected PUSU general secretary Saloni Raj refuses to take oath until boys' hostels are reopened, citing student hardships.
At the oath-taking ceremony after the Patna University students’ union (PUSU), the newly-elected general secretary Saloni Raj created a flutter by refusing to take oath on the issue of reopening of boys’ hostels for the students.
Also read: JD-U skips Patna University student union polls it swept last time
“I boycott the oath, as the hostels have still not been allowed to the students. My victory is not my victory alone. It is a victory of my brothers who supported me. Even for the PUSU polls, there was agitation and one of the demands was that anllotment of hostels was important. I will not take oath till the hostels are opened,” she said from the dais, as the students cheered her.
The hostels in the PU have remained closed since November after unrest and they have not been allowed afresh, even though many students come from outside. While the students face hardship, the university is losing on revenue.
The issue of hostel was also on the agenda of different students organisations’ meeting with the Chancellor in October last.
Rest of the office-bearers of PUSU central panel, however, took oath. A large number of students gathered for the oath ceremony at the historic Wheeler Senate Hall.
Three of the five central panel seats of PUSU went to women, including the post of president to the BJP-affiliate Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad-backed candidate Maithil Mrinalini.
Saloni, who fought as an independent candidate and won by a big margin polling the highest number of 4274 votes, took the stage when her name was announced and dropped the bombshell, saying she would take oath only after the boys hostels allotment is done.
Other central panel members who took oath included the vice president Dheeraj Kumar, joint secretary Somya Srivastava and treasurer Rohan.
Also read: PUSU polls: Two groups of students exchange fire
Known as the cradle of politics, which blossomed during the students’ movement under Loknayak Jai Prakash Narayan PUSU elections always draw a lot of attention, though its relevance in mainstream election has significantly diminished due to lack fo space for youth on the bigger platform of state politics in the last three decades.
