PRAGOTI

Thanks Aniket for raising some very pertinent questions. Let me respond to them in the same order. Since it has a bearing on what I argue, let me state that I have not resigned from the party. Let me also state that this is my position and not necessarily of the SFI-JNU unit. I would suggest that Prasenjit's resignation should be seen separately from the dissolution of the JNU unit of the SFI because I see the first as a critique from outside the party whereas the position of the SFI-JNU should be seen as a struggle from within. Hence, the criticism of the action by the all India SFI leadership by us because they are denying the possibility of any debate over a political position even within a mass organisation. 
 
Any left alternative in India today, whether at the level of the students or otherwise, cannot be envisaged without the CPI(M) or the SFI. And I believe that without acknowledging it, any discussion on the future of the Left in India would not be meaningful. That is not to say that there is no problem with the party or its relationship with the mass organisation. I am sure you would agree that there are debates within the SFI on certain recent developments which have put a question mark on its left credentials. The attempt of the SFI-JNU, I believe, is to challenge that and reassert the true legacy of the SFI and to reclaim the space of the left within the organisation. Such a reassertion far from aligning with the status quo would in fact challenge it and help in creating a space for change in political positions true to its left credentials. To give an example, this could create a debate on the relationship between the party and the mass organisation and the relative autonomy of the latter vis-a-vis the former. 
 
Formation of another front/organisation cannot be considered unless all the democratic possibilities within are exhausted. I believe strongly that democratic voices exist within the party who can work together to reverse the situation. 
 
Keeping it restricted to those who were associated with JNU was also an attempt to counter the charge that this is a disruptive activity. But if you mean to say that a broader solidarity needed to be built against this arbitrary decision, I would accept your criticism.