Student politics in Gujarat: 1967 - 1985

Thesis

This thesis is an attempt to write a history of student politics between 1967 and 1985 in Gujarat, India, and while doing so, understand the role played by it in the rise of the Sangh Parivar (Sangh) in the state. While there were a number of other factors at play, it is the role of student politics, regarding which there has been little research, in aiding the Sangh’s expansion and development up to this point that is sought to be examined.

Using primarily, hitherto unexamined, written official and non-official sources in English, Gujarati, and Hindi the thesis attempts to, in the first two chapters, provide a comprehensive history of student politics in Gujarat between 1967 and 1985. From this, in Chapter 3, certain characteristics of student politics during this time are sought to be established such as the unorganised nature of student politics, an aversion to “politics” being prevalent even in the most political of agitations, the decline in influence, over time, of progressive groups within the student body and the role of police action in escalating student protests. Chapters 4 and 5 focus on the Sangh, its relationship with student politics and its interventions in Gujarat respectively. Chapter 4 explores the organisation of the ABVP, its position in the Sangh’s organisational structure as well as the strategies and tactics employed for the organisational expansion of the ABVP, focusing especially on the ways in which service activities were utilised and the image of the ABVP being “non-political” and an “organisation with a difference” was sought to be built. Chapter 5 explores the interventions of the Sangh in student politics of Gujarat. The tactics utilised for its early expansion, the claims related to its involvement in the Navnirman Agitation which form a central part of Sangh hagiography, the increasing influence of the Sangh in student politics after the Navnirman Agitation and the methods utilised by the Sangh in engaging with the two anti reservation agitations, with a particular focus on the student component of these agitations are sought to be understood.

The thesis argues that student politics contributed in various ways and at different times to the rise of the Sangh- from allowing it to re-gain legitimacy to creating conditions for it to escalate what was initially a minor student protest into an agitation involving widespread caste and communal violence lasting almost six months.

Authors: Kureshi, S

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-o8bzk9g64
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Gujarat; Hindu nationalism; students; Navnirman; Sangh; student politics