Sri Vijaya Puram, July 28: In one of the most significant developments in student politics witnessed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in recent years, eight office bearers and members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) have resigned en masse from the organisation, alleging that it has drifted away from its founding ideals of independent student representation and democratic participation.
The coordinated resignations, submitted with immediate effect to the President of the ABVP Nagar Unit in Sri Vijaya Puram, have also been marked to the organisation’s State President, State Secretary and Nagar Secretary. The development is likely to trigger introspection within the student organisation, which has traditionally been regarded as one of the most organised student bodies in the country.
The resigning members include former Nagar Media Convener Ayush Raj, former ALC Unit Secretary Nikhil Parmar Singh, former ALC Unit President Sneha Priya Das, former Executive Member Kushal Mondal, former TGCE Unit Committee Member Ayushi Alok Reddy, former ALC Unit Joint Secretary Himanshu Kumar, former ALC Unit Executive Member Afreen Kamil and former Joint Secretary Nitin Bepari.
In nearly identical resignation letters, the former office bearers said they had joined ABVP with the objective of working for student welfare, strengthening student representation and contributing to nation-building. However, they alleged that sincere workers were increasingly being denied meaningful participation in organisational decision-making.
A major concern raised by the former office bearers relates to what they described as the increasing involvement of professors and other non-student individuals in the internal functioning of the organisation. According to them, the growing influence of those who are not students undermines the autonomy of a student organisation and weakens democratic participation by its primary stakeholders.
The resigning members also questioned the organisation’s claim of being an independent student body. While acknowledging ABVP’s stated objective of serving students, they said they had increasingly come to perceive its functioning as reflecting support for a particular political organisation. According to them, this perception conflicted with the principles on which they had originally chosen to associate themselves with ABVP.
Another key grievance concerns what the former office bearers described as the organisation’s failure to demonstrate decisive leadership during periods when students required collective representation. They alleged that despite several issues affecting students, they did not witness the level of intervention, commitment and mobilisation expected from an organisation that projects itself as the voice of students.
Despite the sharp criticism contained in the resignation letters, the members maintained a measured tone, thanking senior office bearers and colleagues for the opportunities and experiences they had gained during their association with the organisation. They also wished the organisation well in its future activities.
Founded in 1949, ABVP is among India’s largest student organisations, with a presence across universities and colleges nationwide. While it describes itself as an independent student organisation committed to educational reform, nationalism and student welfare, it has long been regarded as ideologically aligned with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), with many of its former members later moving into mainstream politics.
The mass resignation assumes significance because organised student politics in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has traditionally remained limited. As a result, even relatively small organisational shifts can have an outsized impact on campus mobilisation and student leadership.
The development also comes at a politically sensitive time for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the islands. Under the leadership of newly elected state president Anil Kumar Tiwari, the BJP has been undertaking an organisational expansion drive and strengthening its grassroots network across the Union Territory. While ABVP functions as a separate student organisation, it is widely viewed as part of the broader Sangh Parivar ecosystem, making internal developments within the student body politically noteworthy.
Political observers say the resignations raise broader questions about student participation in organisational decision-making, the balance between ideological guidance and institutional autonomy, and the future direction of student politics in the islands. Whether the resignations remain an isolated episode or lead to wider churn within the organisation is likely to become clearer in the coming weeks.
ABVP had not issued an official response to the allegations or the resignations till the time this report was published. The Wave Andaman has reached out to the organisation for its response. If received, it will be incorporated in a subsequent update.
