The All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) has publicly condemned West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari over his recent remarks linking the revival of student union elections to the hoisting of ABVP's saffron flags across college and university campuses. AIDSO described the comments as a provocative attempt to polarise academic spaces and push a partisan political agenda through student bodies.
Adhikari, addressing a political gathering, had stated that student elections would soon be held in West Bengal and that ABVP — the student wing affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ecosystem — would dominate campuses with its saffron flags. The remarks, widely circulated on social media, drew an immediate response from Left-leaning student organisations who view ABVP as a political rather than academic outfit.
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AIDSO, one of the largest Left-aligned student federations in the country and affiliated with the SFI and broader Left movement, has accused the state government of preparing the ground for saffronisation of educational institutions. The organisation warned that campuses would be converted into arenas of political confrontation if union elections were conducted under the current political climate in Bengal.
The controversy comes amid a long-pending debate in West Bengal over the revival of student union polls, which have remained suspended across state-aided universities for several years. Critics have argued that the freeze has weakened democratic representation in campuses, while political parties across the spectrum have accused one another of using the issue for electoral mileage rather than genuine student welfare.
AIDSO has demanded that the Chief Minister withdraw his comments and ensure that any restored student elections are conducted in a fair, non-partisan manner. The organisation has indicated that it will mobilise students across colleges if the government proceeds with what it termed a 'communalisation' of campus politics.
