On one side of the hall is a raised platform with ABVP's banner as its backdrop. Against the banner stands Yogit Rathi, the organisation's DUSU Secretary candidate, posing for photographs. On the other side, a group of gaudily dressed youngsters are seen dancing to music. This is believed to be a clipping from a party that the ABVP had allegedly organised on September 9, in connection with the upcoming DUSU elections.
A forwarded message that we had accessed says that all students with DU ID are invited to the party, which was held at La Maurya Banquet, New Delhi. This isn't the best part. As the dates of the DUSU elections are approaching, multiple allegations against most student political outfits have come up for bribing students. The Lyngdoh Committee caps the expenses at just Rs 5,000 — except a hoarding costs Rs 10,000 or more and there are numerous such hoardings across the campuses.
But there are funnier things the student parties spend money on.
If sources are to be believed, the ABVP took a number of students to watch the latest Sushant Singh-starrer Chhichhore. The students were apparently provided free transportation too. The organisation was recently accused of distributing chocolate bars with their sticker on it.
Not that the Congress-backed NSUI are any better. They, reportedly, took around to 500 students to Jurassic Park Inn, an amusement park in Sonepat, for free rides — even a discounted ticket there costs close to Rs 750. They had also distributed chocolates with the candidates' names. "These are nothing new. Candidates even arrange to send pizzas — their faces plastered to the box — to hostels," said Utkarsh Bharadwaj of the SFI. "There are funnier things that people have been gifting over the years. The most common being small make-up kits with lipsticks, kajal and lip balms," added Utkarsh, a student of Ambedkar University.
His party's participation in the upcoming elections still hangs in the balance and the Delhi High Court will decide on September 11. The SFI and AISF candidates were allegedly not allowed to submit their nominations, as they were attacked by a mob allegedly led by the ABVP. The nomination forms were torn in the process.
But ABVP did not deny distributing sweets but said that was way back in July when the new students joined for the first time. "We welcomed the new students with sweets. It has nothing to do with the elections. We work 365 days, round the clock, unlike the NSUI, who just appear just before the elections and try to lure the students with picnics, food etc. We do not need that," said Monica Chaudhary the Media Convenor for ABVP.
NSUI too denied taking the students to the amusement park. "I want to meet at least one student who had gone on this trip. This is a baseless allegation," says Akshay Lakra, Delhi State President, NSUI.
