Harish Rawat on DUSU polls: NSUI lost due to 'weak fielding'

Congress leader Harish Rawat said the NSUI lost the DUSU presidential post due to "weak fielding" for other positions, despite putting up a tough fight. He added that their performance was encouraging and also supported Rahul Gandhi's recent remarks.

NSUI lost due to 'weak fielding': Harish Rawat

Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Sunday said that the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) put up a tough fight in the DUSU elections, but lost the presidential post due to a "somewhat weak fielding" regarding the Vice-Presidential and other positions.

Reacting to the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) election results concluded on Saturday, Rawat said the youth and students were inclined towards the NSUI, adding that the organisation's performance and votes secured by its candidates were encouraging.

"The youth, specifically the students, were inclined towards the NSUI. Due to somewhat weak 'fielding' regarding the Vice-Presidential post and other positions, our presidential candidate lost despite putting up a very tough fight—coming very close to victory. So, contrary to how it is being portrayed externally, it isn't as if the NSUI wasn't in the thick of the struggle; we fought hard right up to the very last moment," Rawat said.

This comes as the Congress student wing NSUI failed to win a single post out of the four. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) won three of the four central panel posts in the DUSU elections. ABVP's Yash Dabas was elected as newly president.

"I congratulate the NSUI members of the student union. Such circumstances do arise; the votes they secured among the students are quite encouraging, and they will continue their work based on that foundation," he added.

Speaking to ANI on whether mistakes were made by the Congress student wing, Rawat said, "Yes, as I said, I feel there were some errors, perhaps a lapse in the 'fielding' or the combination of candidates, and we had to bear the consequences of that lapse."

Rawat on Rahul Gandhi's Remarks

The Congress leader also reacted to Rahul Gandhi's remarks at Saturday's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' event in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, where the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition spoke about students being unable to raise their voices and alleged issues related to surveillance and intelligence gathering.

"Rahul-ji likely made those remarks based on his own information, and the system is indeed a failure—it has failed completely. That is what is breeding despair. There is frustration among the youth. Unemployment, inflation, crime, and intolerance are all at their peak. Nowadays, a minor verbal altercation with a passerby leads to aggression; people get aggressive over parking a vehicle in the neighborhood. It has become a behavioral trait," Rawat said.

"The kind of national atmosphere that has been created is responsible for all of this. So, Rahul Gandhi is reflecting precisely that sentiment; he is saying that it is this very system that is exploiting the youth and breeding despair among them," he added.

On Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' program, Uttarakhand's former CM and Congress leader Harish Rawat said, "In politics, when you hold a position, you have to accept such things as a natural part of the process. The BJP’s attitude where they act as if not even a fly should be allowed to land on them, is not democratic; in a democracy, one must understand that such things are simply part of the game."

On Uttarakhand Visit

On his visit to Uttarakhand and whether political activity would intensify there, Rawat said, "Well, what could happen just because of my arrival? I am but one individual. However, I am returning to my home turf after a long time to meet my people; I will certainly cherish that and feel happy." (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)