Students sceptical of anti-graft battle

More than 30,000 students have taken part in the movement supporting Anna Hazare. While some have skipped classes to express solidarity, others have been making visits to the Ramlila Maidan as part of their daily routine. Shaswati Das reports.

More than 30,000 students have taken part in the movement supporting Anna Hazare. While some have skipped classes to express solidarity, others have been making visits to the Ramlila Maidan as part of their daily routine.

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On the ninth day of Anna’s fast, students from various universities made their way to the venue to witness the movement that has taken the nation by storm.

Most of these students, who were from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University (DU) and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), however, remained critical of the movement.

“We have heard and seen a lot of facets of the protest over the last few days. We are here not to express solidarity but to see how things are unfolding. The question is how many people are actually aware of what the movement is about,” said Chandni Mehta, a student of JNU.

Groups of students, who had gathered at the Ramlila Ground on Wednesday, remained sceptical about the success of the anti-graft crusader’s battle.

While the movement managed to steer its course to reach the discussion stage with the UPA government on Wednesday, students believed that an agreeable outcome was not likely.

“If the government has been blamed of subverting public opinion in a democracy, then this can provide an excuse to them to label the movement as undemocratic too. There is no end to arguing over an issue as vast as corruption. Maybe we need to address smaller issues first, before progressing onto a larger frame,” said Samyak Sharma, a student of DU.