ABVP outlines hostel safety plans after DUSU victory (Img: IANS)
New Delhi: Following its victory in three of the four central posts in the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has outlined its priorities. It said that safety audits of Paying Guest (PG) accommodations and expansion of hostel capacity as key priorities for the new team.
The announcement comes after a multi-storey building collapsed in South Delhi's Satya Niketan area earlier this month. Seven people, including five Delhi University students were killed in the incident.
DUSU President-elect Yash Dabas said increasing hostel capacity had been a long-standing demand of the student organisation. He claimed that the number of hostel beds at Delhi University had more than doubled from around 5,700 in 2015 to over 12,000 following efforts by the ABVP.
"This demand of ours is not new. In 2015, Delhi University's hostel bed capacity was around 5,700. After continuous efforts by the ABVP, today it has more than doubled to over 12,000. But we will continue to fight for this; we will keep fighting until the capacity reaches 1,00,000 students."
Dabas said the new DUSU team's immediate priority would be to assess the safety of student accommodation.
"That is because we do not want an incident like the one in Satya Niketan to happen to anyone in the future," he added.
DUSU Secretary Riya Chhawdi expressed gratitude to the organisation, students, her team and family after winning the post.
"I feel very thankful to my organisation, to the students who supported us, to my team and family members."
Responding to the political debate around Gen Z and student politics, she said, "Despite the protests by Gen Z, I just want to say that Gen Z is with us; that is why we won three seats."
ABVP Joint Secretary Lakshay Raj Singh Rathore also thanked the organisation after winning his post. He highlighted the support he received from students from Rajasthan.
"The ABVP allowed a candidate from Rajasthan after 12 years. When given the chance, all my brothers, sisters, and classmates from Rajasthan supported me throughout this struggle, due to which I could win this," he told reporters.
"This shows that Gen Z and the youth stand with the ABVP," he asserted.
Independent candidate Deepanshu Shokeen, who won the vice-president's post, said he was confident of meeting the expectations of students who voted for him.
"I feel very good that the students of Delhi University have placed their trust in me, and I will live up to that trust," he told IANS.
Earlier, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the ABVP's performance, saying Gen Z will "never accept the lies" of the Opposition.
