PUDUCHERRY: An annual magazine brought out by Pondicherry University Students Council on Thursday hit out at NDA government for its alleged attempts to ‘saffronise education’ and for turning India into a ‘fascist’ nation. The magazine, ‘Widerstand’ (meaning resistance in German), the first of its kind in a Central university in the country, was released by Students Welfare Dean of Hyderabad Central University, Prakash Babu, in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University Anisa Basheer Khan.
It became the subject matter of discussion among students and faculty members because of its strong statements against the Narendra Modi government. The magazine editorial strongly criticises the BJP government that “the nation had been turned into a fascist one, Dalits were burned alive and educational institutions were saffronised.” Going a step further, an article says campuses are ‘turning into concentration camps’ under NDA rule. Another article by a first year student described India as ‘country without free speech’. The publication described suicide of Rohit Vemula an ‘institutional murder’ which reportedly provoked the university administration.
“The magazine aims at upholding freedom of speech in particular. The content of the magazine evaluates how the current governmental regime affects the educational system of our nation. It evaluates how students are deeply affected by the ‘saffronisation of education” said the editor, Anjali G, who is also the vice president of students council. The name ‘Widerstand’ comes from a magazine of the same name published from Berlin since 1926 to advocate National Bolshevism under the editorship of Ernest Niekisch, a German politician and socialist.
