Kolkata: Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Thursday, September 3, took out a Vande Mataram march on Jadavpur University campus here, carrying the national flag and displaying images of eminent personalities, in a show of nationalism that added another layer to the ongoing political contest surrounding the varsity.
The march, held ahead of a nationalist conference at the university’s Triguna Sen Auditorium, saw participation of students, teachers and non-teaching staff.
Raising “Vande Mataram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” slogans, ABVP activists moved through the campus, asserting that what they described as “anti-national” slogans and activities would not be tolerated at the university.
The organisation also sought to turn the campus walls into a visual counter-narrative.
In an apparent response to controversial wall writings that have recently triggered a political row, ABVP workers put up portraits of eminent personalities associated with India’s cultural and constitutional heritage.
A portrait of Rabindranath Tagore was put up at the university gate, while images drawn by artist Nandalal Bose for the Constitution were displayed on campus walls.
The march comes against the backdrop of clashes between ABVP and Left student groups at Jadavpur University over the past two weeks, which have drawn the university into a broader political confrontation in West Bengal.
The ABVP had announced the Vande Mataram yatra in advance, maintaining that the national song should be freely sung on the campus and that there should be no space for activities it considers hostile to the country.
The programme also preceded a “Nationalist Conference” being organised at the Triguna Sen Auditorium by the Haripada Bharati Memorial Protection Committee.
The latest ABVP mobilisation follows a Vande Mataram programme at Jadavpur University last week in which thousands participated, turning the song into a fresh political flashpoint on a campus traditionally associated with strong Left student activism.
