SFI returns to campus protests, but silence on Kerala PSC row raises questions

Thiruvananthapuram: The Students Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M), has returned to aggressive campus activism in Kerala following the change of government in the state. However, its silence on the ongoing Public Service Commission (PSC) recruitment controversy has drawn attention and criticism.

SFI protests have been reported at several universities, including Calicut, Kalady and Kerala universities, since the Congress-led government under Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan assumed office. Some of these demonstrations have also resulted in clashes with the police.

Several of these protests have also led to clashes with the police. But what is drawing attention is not just the return of SFI to street politics, but its conspicuous silence over the ongoing Public Service Commission (PSC) recruitment controversy.

During the Pinarayi Vijayan government, SFI protests were relatively rare. One major exception was its agitation against then Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who was also the Chancellor of state universities. Now, with a change in government, the student organisation is back in an aggressive mode.

Last week's incident at Maharaja's College in Kochi was particularly striking. State Higher Education Minister Roji M. John faced protests from SFI activists when he arrived to attend a convocation ceremony.

The incident underlined the sharp change in the political atmosphere on campuses. The Satheesan government and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala have taken a firm position on such protests, and confrontations with the police have become more visible. But on the PSC issue, SFI's silence has surprised many.

The investigation into alleged irregularities in PSC examinations and appointments has already led to the arrest of a senior commission official and a former employee.

The Special Investigation Team has questioned PSC Chairman M.R. Baiju and three other members. Notices have also been issued to the remaining 12 members of the 16-member commission, all appointed during the previous Vijayan government.

The issue concerns the credibility of a recruitment system that thousands of young people depend on for government jobs. It is also a matter that directly affects students and job aspirants, a section SFI claims to represent. That makes the organisation's silence particularly difficult to overlook.

SFI may have returned to the streets over the change of government, but its reluctance to speak on an issue affecting the future of thousands of young job seekers raises a larger question -- where is the student organisation when the interests of students and job aspirants are at stake?

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