GUWAHATI, May 23 - With a phenomenal rise in college union bodies in the past one year � from a mere 29 in 2013-14 to 90 � the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad�s (ABVP) growing inroads among the youth was a precursor of the change that swept Assam in the Assembly election this time.
The right-wing student organisation�s membership also increased in Assam to nearly 39,000 from a meagre 15,000 to 17,000 around five years back. At present, the ABVP has a dominant presence in prominent institutions like the Gauhati University, Cotton College, Gauhati Commerce College and Arya Vidyapeeth College. It managed a first-time win on the post of the president of the Dibrugarh University Students� Union, and made a strong footing in many Upper Assam areas.
�The need of change was being long felt among the students and their parents, as the community was feeling let down by the prevailing scenario. If lack of opportunities and absence of infrastructure was not enough, the future insecurity and unemployment issues made the students wary. We also sensitised the people in general to come out and cast their votes,� said ABVP national secretary Shreehari Borikar, who is also the ABVP�s NE organising secretary.
The Bharatiya Janata Party�s slogan of �change� is said to have largely appealed to the youth, including students. �The new government in Assam should work on addressing the issues of students and the youth. The ABVP strongly supports the demand of �detect, delete and deport� on the issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh,� he said.
Student politics has always played a crucial role in the political situation of Assam and general bodies in colleges and universities of the State have traditionally been dominated by the AASU and the National Students� Union of India (NSUI). The ABVP, as a late bloomer, however, has made a firm footing in many areas.
�We have sensed despondency among the students long back, who supported us even in the areas where we did not have any presence previously. When general body elections gave them the platform, they identified with the issues and ideology of the ABVP. We did well in the colleges of Upper Assam � in Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, including places like Majuli and Titabor. Similarly, in Central and Lower Assam, too, in areas like Nagaon, Samaguri and Rangiya, we entered many new places where we did not have much presence previously,� he pointed out.
The total membership of the ABVP in the NE region is around 76,000. While 350 posts in student union bodies are occupied by ABVP representatives, it has a presence in 13 college union bodies of Guwahati alone.
�Our annual assessments are held in July every year, and the figure indicating our presence is likely to go up,� said ABVP Guwahati organising secretary Pradumna Dutta. ABVP�s national integration initiatives like �Students� Experience in Interstate Living� and youth enterprise Yuva Vikash Kendra, Amingaon, are also gaining acceptability in the State.
