He would beard the lion in his den. Dinesh Kumar Ahrawar,26,a presidential candidate in the student union elections at the Jawaharlal Nehru University,is brandishing caste in the face of well-entrenched Marxists who swear by class. His doctrinal game-changer is bahujan politics. A member of the Bahujan Student Front,Dinesh hails from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and is pursuing a doctorate in Chinese Studies. No wonder,he knows his Mao as well as his Mayawati. Unlike other presidential candidates,Dinesh is dressed in formals,which may indicate that he is quite serious about it all. He veers neatly away from the class politics of the Lefthe believes the issues and problems of the lower castes will have to be voiced by them alone. I have no hopes from mainstream politics in this country, he says. Studies have taken a backseat,since Dinesh is giving himself fully to elections. His routine begins at 9 am,when he starts identifying students who can support him,his ideas and his bid for presidency. But is he not interested in upper-caste students at all? We believe that the issues should be raised by us,who are suffering,while all progressive people should support us, he says. He has a clear-cut approach to his political goals,which is evident from the motto written in bold on the pamphlets he distributes Educate,Agitate Organise. The party is in existence on the campus for seven years,but hasnt registered its presence in any major way yet. However,Dinesh is full of hope: This is the third election were contesting,and we hope to change things this year. His party members move in groups of five to seven to widen the bahujan network in hostels. One can dismiss Dinesh as a lightweight,but he has weighed it all up carefully. Due to the reservations in educational institutions,more than 50 per cent of students are bahujans. He moves from hostel to hostel consolidating his constituency with his clear messagea class-based approach to the caste-based problems of India will fail miserably. Dinesh is basically a doctrinaire. He believes he has an idea that can bring in big change. He says,Any ideology can be changed,if only it can be challenged. Indeed,he hopes to pose a formidable challenge to the Left in its bastion,as he knows how his idea operates on the groundhis election issues are preventing caste-based discrimination in hostels,reducing viva voice marks to counter discrimination by faculty,and implementing quota in both jobs and admissions on the campus. Dinesh says the Left has always ignored the voice of the backward classes,and it continues to do so. Do you hear that,comrades?
