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TVR skips function, students court arrest
FOLLOWING PROTESTS by student leaders, Governor TV Rajeswar skipped the 86th foundation day celebrations at Lucknow University on Saturday. It was for the second consecutive time that the Governor did not turn up for the varsity?s foundation day celebrations. Besides Rajeswar, Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibte Razi, an alumnus of LU, too kept away from the show.
FOLLOWING PROTESTS by student leaders, Governor TV Rajeswar skipped the 86th foundation day celebrations at Lucknow University on Saturday. It was for the second consecutive time that the Governor did not turn up for the varsity’s foundation day celebrations. Besides Rajeswar, Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibte Razi, an alumnus of LU, too kept away from the show.
Though unprecedented security arrangements were made at LU to keep rowdy student leaders away from spoiling the show, they managed to register a protest against LU administration. Irate student leaders raised anti-V-C slogans and later courted arrest. The student leaders threatened to continue the stir pressing LU to announce student union elections.
The ongoing student agitation and the present crisis situation of LU had an impact on V-C RP Singh’s foundation day speech. A visibly piqued V-C lashed out at student leaders as well as at a section of teachers for the present situation.
He said: “I’ve directed all teachers against letting any self-proclaimed student leader enter the various departments. Teachers issuing Press statements would also be brought to book.”
The V-C also lashed out at leaders of political parties for misleading youth. He said: “There is an acute ideological deficit as people in politics are misleading students for their own interest.” According to him, LU was in shambles when he took over. “Lot of V-C came and gone but none bothered to go deep into the root and solve the problems. I’m not like them. I believe in transparent administration,” he said.
The speech of the V-C was not well received by many teachers as also by some of the alumni. They said the V-C should have restrained from speaking so bitterly about the teachers in such an august gathering. The foundation day function also witnessed absence of LU Teachers’ Association (LUTA), LU Students Union (LUSU) and last but not the least, the LU Employees Association.
Absence of students from the foundation day celebration was the focal point of the speech delivered by the distinguished alumni.
People like PC Joshi, journalist Rahul Dev and others urged varsity officials to sort out their differences with student leaders, saying that relentless student agitation would only earn bad name for LU. But will there observations make any difference to varsity’s functioning?
