THE LEFT GROOMS A NEW GENERATION OF REFUSENIKS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 008006

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL SCUL ECON IN
SUBJECT: THE LEFT GROOMS A NEW GENERATION OF REFUSENIKS


1. (SBU) Summary: Although the growing strength of Congress
and BJP student unions suggests that the student body has
become more tolerant of centrist and right wing views, the
left continues to dominate student politics at New Delhi's
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU),one of the country's
pre-eminent graduate institutions. As JNU's approximately
5000 graduate students gear up for the November 2005 Student
Union elections, the left remains firmly in control. On the
JNU campus foreign policy debates over globalization, Iran,
and the war in Iraq, dominate student politics, and the left
is grooming a new generation to enter the Indian political
scene and shape future contests around the issue of what it
sees as continued American domination. End summary.

The Kremlin on the Jumna
--------------


2. (U) At its inception in 1969, Indira Gandhi hoped JNU
would become the haven of intellectuals bent on countering
right and left extremism and encouraging democratic
expression. JNU failed to fulfill its stated purpose,
however, as the University came quickly to be dominated by
the Indian Left, which has remained in control ever since.
In meetings with Poloff, JNU alumni nostalgically described
their alma mater as an utopia, where politically and
intellectually charged students rarely wished to leave for
the real world, a haven from traditional India, where women
mingled with men until the wee hours of the morning, and
students from depressed rural backgrounds were provided
opportunities to come into their own.


3. (U) JNU professor of American Studies, K.P. Vijayalakshmi
exclaimed to Poloff that, "Politics was our socialization,
and that socialization bridged acute socio-economic
divisions." "Until 1982," she continued, "there was an
ideological free-flow. Each group felt it had a stake in the
elections, and everyone got involved." Swaran Singh, another
alum and now a professor at the university's prestigious
School for International Studies, proudly explained that JNU
is the only Indian university in which the university
"establishment" has no involvement with elections, in that
the student body elects an election commission to conduct
elections.

Where Foreign Policy Matters
--------------


4. (U) Singh explained that rather than focusing on the
quality of university facilities and campus store offerings,
JNU student union leaders campaign on international issues,
such as the war in Iraq or Indian support of Palestine. JNU
influences the national agenda, he contended, in that other
universities seek to mirror JNU's democratic structure. The
University's intellectually dynamic students have produced
influential leaders of national politics, journalism, and the
civil service by virtue of their talent, rather than their
close proximity to national politicians. A disproportionate
number of Indian diplomats are JNU graduates, giving the
University a lasting impact on the country's foreign policy.


Some Shift Away from the Left
--------------


5. (U) Professors Singh and Vijaylakshmi agreed that while
leftist parties will continue to be strong, a diversifying
JNU student population and the globalization of India will
broaden the political spectrum and that a limited shift has
already occurred. As the recruitment of faculty broadened to
include professors not from the left, portions of the student
body became more centrist. The once-dominant Communist
student unions lost some ground to the more centrist Congress
union, and later, in the late 1980s and 1990s, to the BJP
union. Swaran Singh contended that while idealism has
permeated the campus, many of today's students take a more
pragmatic view.

Reasons for the Shift
--------------


6. (U) Vijayalakshmi suggested three explanations for this
shift. First, elections have become cadre-based, in that
ideology no longer brings victory, which instead goes to the
party most able to mobilize recruiters. Professional door to
door campaigning has replaced informal political discussions
in the mess halls. Second, Indians in general have become
fatigued with politics, are less fascinated with taking a
political position, and feel less confident in expressing
their beliefs. Third, politics has become a private
phenomenon, with voters concentrating on people rather than
parties, personalities rather than agendas.

But the Left Remains Supreme
--------------


7. (U) Both professors agreed that at the same time, the
Left Front (LF) student unions retain their dominance at JNU
because of the growing power and stature of the Left Front in
national politics. With 60-64 seats in Parliament and
unprecedented influence over the United Progressive Alliance
(UPA) government, the Left is able to provide greater help
and encouragement to its supporters at JNU, encouraging
leftist students to raise their voices to push for dramatic
change even as campus politics diversify.

Comment - Portents for the Future
--------------


8. (SBU) While growing acceptance of centrist and right wing
student unions at JNU mirrors a countrywide shift towards
more pragmatism and less idealism, the Left will continue to
dominate student politics. JNU students represent the
broader Indian political class, as they come from all over
India and from different economic backgrounds. JNU student
union politics predicted the right-wing Hindutva wave that
would sweep national politics in the late 1990's, and
elections in this leftist bastion could indicate that a new
generation of Left leaders in India will use relations with
the US, Indian foreign policy, and growing conflict over
globalization to solidify Left party gains. End comment.


9. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website:
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/)
BLAKE