Only around six months ago, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, was appointed as the first women Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Ever since her tenure as VC started, she has landed herself in many controversies. The first controversy by the JNU VC started soon after she was appointed. Hours after the announcement of her joining the post, Dhulipudi’s old tweets were resurfaced, where the professor called JNU students ‘fools’ and referred to farmers as ‘parasites’.
From allegedly put out controversial tweets, calling left-liberal students as “Jihadis” to her statement on the caste of gods, here is a list of controversies stirred by the new JNU VC.
Gender justice: While delivering the Dr B R Ambedkar lecture series, titled ‘Dr B R Ambedkar’s Thoughts on Gender Justice: Decoding the Uniform Civil Code’, the VC said that the “greatest tribute’’ to gender justice would be to implement a uniform civil code. The VC added that uniformity of laws is meant to make people progressive and broad-minded. She said “unless we have social democracy, our political democracy is a mirage. “It is pertinent you cannot have a minority having all the rights when the majority does not, sometime you will have a backlash that you will not be able to handle.” ”The greatest tribute to gender justice would be to implement uniform civil code as ambitioned by Babasaheb,” she added.
Students to have all rituals: In April this year, JNU witnessed a brawl between two student groups during Ram Navami celebrations. The VC had said that she wants students to have all rituals as she believes in diversity and difference. “I spoke to the agitated students on both sides and promised that there is zero tolerance towards violence, and we want students to have all rituals because I believe in diversity and difference. It has to be accepted and celebrated,” the JNU VC told News18.
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JNU is nationalist too: In an exclusive interview with News18, the VC said, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is as nationalist as any other university in India. “JNU is as nationalistic as any other university. We are free and diverse. JNU is a battleground for ideas,” said the VC. “Most of the students think that freedom has very little responsibility because in JNU you can get anything and you don’t get into trouble because we allow student activism, it is a part of our academic atmosphere, but when they break the boundaries, then it creates problems,” added the VC.
“There might be a few who may not agree with me but as a VC I can promise that not only there is space for the left but also there is also space for other narratives. JNU is one of the greatest institutions that modern India has built and we want to move ahead from this with continuity and change because we have to change with the contemporary times. We are universal but we are nationalists first,” she said.
Gods and caste system: A recent controversy was sparked by the JNU Vice Chancellor’s claim that no god is Brahmin. Pandit stated that “anthropologically” gods do not come from the higher caste, and even Lord Shiva might be from a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. Delivering the Dr B R Ambedkar Lecture Series, she also said the “status of shudras given to women in Manusmriti” makes it extraordinarily regressive.
“Let me tell all women that all women according to Manusmriti are shudras so no woman can claim she is a brahmin or anything else and it is only by marriage that you get the husband or father’s caste on you. I think this is something which is extraordinarily regressive,” the JNU VC said. Taking about the recent caste violence involving a nine-year-old Dalit boy, she said that no god belonged to the upper caste.
Love Jihad: An unverified Twitter handle — @SantishreeD — had made references to Sharjeel Imam and Nathuram Godse, among others. While there was no confirmation whether or not it was Pandit’s account, the social media handle was taken down hours later. The Twitter account had called liberals as Jihadis and had urged “non-Muslims” to wake up to prevent “Love Jihad”, which she qualifies as “terror by other means”.
Violation of SPPU norms: While a lecturer at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) in 2011, Prof Pandit too came under fire for alleged corruption. In violation of the norms, she allegedly admitted 1,800 Indian students to seats intended for people of Indian origin (PIO), according to an August 5, 2011 report. Pandit is also known for her proximity with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
India is a “civilisation state”: Speaking at an international seminar at Delhi University in May this year, Pandit noted that India is a “civilisation state” and celebrating history beyond religion is “very important”. “Reducing India to a civic nation bound by a Constitution disregards its history, ancient heritage culture and civilisation. I would place India as a civilisation state. There are only two civilisation states that had a tradition with modernity, a realm with the region, and change with continuity. Those two states are India and China,” she said.
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