New Delhi: Thakur College of Science and Commerce located in Mumbai’s Kandivali, a north Mumbai suburb, has received “a notice” from Mumbai University (MU) regarding a much-discussed event involving Dhruv Goyal, the son of Union minister and BJP’s North Mumbai Lok Sabha candidate, Piyush Goyal, reported Mid-Day.
The event involved allegedly forcing students to attend his speech. The university, according to the newspaper, “has instructed colleges not to use such events for political promotion or publicity of any related individuals or parties.” An MU official is cited by Mid-Day as saying, “We have issued a show cause notice via a letter to Thakur college based on a complaint letter received by us.”
“MU has urged all affiliated colleges to steer clear of political campaigns and to focus on the ongoing exams,” MU sources told the daily.
A video of Dhruv Goyal’s speech on March 23 had gone viral, prompting the Yuva Sena, affiliated with the Shiv Sena (UBT), to demand action against the college. Shive Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi posted a video of the event, demonstrating students complaining about being forced amid cheers from their fellow-students.
The video shows a student complaining about the confiscation of their identity cards and being compelled to attend the session. The student who questioned the actions of the college authorities voiced concerns about forcing attendance at exam time. The college is located in what is part of North Mumbai, for which Piyush Goyal is a BJP candidate in the forthcoming polls.
The college responded by attacking MP Chaturvedi, and posting another video purportedly trying to establish that what she had posted was not the whole picture. The principal wrote, “Regrettably, Ms [Priyanka] Chaturvedi’s actions have introduced unnecessary discord into our college environment, unfairly involving our students in a dispute that was uncalled for.”
Chaturvedi then responded by tagging the Election Commission for action, as she said, “Shame on the college which first gives platform to a politically affiliated person to create ‘voter awareness’ Makes the students compulsorily attend the event by taking their IDs away Yet, Thakur College Principal and Management has the audacity to accuse me. My response to their press note which clearly seems to be drafted with the intent of gaining some more brownie points for the Union minister. Tough luck, you’ll are messing around with the wrong person.”
After the event, the college’s handling of it and allegations against Dhruv’s presence, intended to boost his father’s campaign from the area, members of Shiv Sena (UBT) are reported to have met with the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Ravindra Kulkarni, and requested action be taken against the college.
Mid-Day reported that “in the light of a directive from the University Grants Commission (UGC) urging colleges to conduct awareness campaigns to boost electoral participation under the banner ‘Mera Pehla Vote Desh Ke Liye,’ students have expressed apprehensions, citing ongoing exams.”
Expressing apprehensions about the prime minister taking centre-stage in what should be an activity for the Election Commission, Srinivas Kodali had written in The Wire, “an election campaign being “launched by the prime minister” raises doubts and eyebrows. Does getting in a contestant for the polls for what is an EC activity, uphold the promise of a ‘level playing field’?”
Some former members of the Senate, along with Shiv Sena deputy leader Shital Seth Devarukhkar, too reportedly met with MU authorities and feared that a protest might have been initiated, if the university would not have acted, as Yuva Sena explicitly is said to have mentioned in a letter to the university.
Union minister and BJP candidate, Piyush Goyal defended his son’s presence and said “If you see the video in the full context, Dhruv was invited as a guest and he went there as a guest. He placed his views.”
Principal Chaitaly Chakraborty told Mid-day, “We [the college] haven’t received any such notice from the university over e-mail. If they have sent us a physical copy, it hasn’t reached us yet but it will be reaching us in some days.”
