SIXTH all India girls’ convention of SFI was held successfully in Sikar, Rajasthan, from December 17-19, 2021, with the slogan of combating gendered push out in educational institutes. The anti-people government at the centre has coupled up the challenges put forward by the pandemic and its unprecedented affect on the common mass. A huge number of students from marginalised families are forced to leave studies and commit to an unhealthy work atmosphere due to the financial meltdown and apathy of the ruling government. A large section among these pushed out students are girls, who are forcefully married off, being exposed to domestic violence and lack of dignified life opportunities. This was the backdrop that the convention was designed upon and in a way was a culmination of protests and programmes taken up by the SFI during the last two years against digital divide and its gendered outcomes.   

The convention started with a vibrant rally from S K College Ground to Dhaka Bhawan where the open session took place. The convention was inaugurated by K K Shailaja, former health minister, Kerala. Apart from her actor and activist Sonia Maan, kisan leader Amra Ram and other leaders of SFI addressed the spirited crowd.

Sonia Maan recited the last letter written by her late father Comrade Baldev Singh on her birth that exposes the tyranny of patriarchy and feudalism. She emphasised on women’s participation in public life and the necessity of struggle against every kind of bullying and slut shaming. K K Shailaja laid down the heroic role of the LDF government in tackling the pandemic and the role of individuals in achieving collective leadership under the guidance of scientific socialism. Seema Jain from AIDWA also addressed the convention where she narrated the stories of resistance by the women in their everyday life, the need of organisation in crafting a battle against the hydra-headed patriarchy and capitalism. 

The delegate session of the convention began with the election of presidium, steering committee, minutes committee and the credentials committee. The draft resolution of the convention was presented by Dipsita Dhar, on behalf of the girls’ sub-committee. The resolutions outlined in detail the socio-educational status of girls in the country, effect of National Education Policy on women education and organisational functioning of state subcommittees.

The work of girl comrades during pandemic as red volunteers/Covid volunteers in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other states was praiseworthy. From providing sanitary kits to oxygen delivery the role of all these comrades will inspire the future to come. Different seminars, gatherings, wall writing by girl comrades, torch light marches that were done as a response to gendered crimes and the active participation of the state girls’ subcommittees was a welcome change. Campaigns like “bleed without fear” against the taxation on sanitary napkins was a successful intervention and helped in creating a wider reach for organisation. The resolution passed in the convention focused on institutional mechanism against gendered discrimination, implementation of POSCO act, specific issues of LGBTIQ students, construction of hostels for girl students and financial incentive to stop women push outs etc.  

There was a vibrant discussion on the resolutions, with a total of 181 delegates present in the hall from 17 different states of the country.  A frank and critical discussion was put forward with further positive suggestions and concrete measures needed to strengthen the work of the central sub-committee and similar sub-committees at various levels.  Almost 78 per cent of the total delegates came from the marginalised communities, a large share being from backward castes and scheduled caste communities. Half of the total delegates are from working class families with either of their parents engaged as a peasant or a daily wage labour. Fifty per cent among the total delegates are undergraduate students, with few in research and professional courses as well, the majority number of delegates are below 25 years of age. Interestingly more than 21 per cent of the total delegates faced the immediate wrath of the pandemic where they are either asked to discontinue education or were pressured to marry. Many even faced domestic violence and sexual abuses during the last two years of pandemic. The rising trend of working students has been a worry for SFI, the Covid and its aftermath has triggered this even more. With 20 per cent of total delegates identifying as a working student once again exposes the failure of neoliberal state in ensuring quality and affordable education to all. But there is a ray of hope even after all these hurdles, the delegates active participation in protest and agitation is noteworthy. Nineteen per cent of the total delegates have represented SFI in students’ union elections. There were delegates and CEC members who have contested panchayat, municipality and assembly elections in the recent past.  

The convention pledged to resist gender bias inside and outside the organisation, from breaking gendered roles, specific labour expectation to more and more diverse and inclusive committee formations. It also took into account the existing inequalities in Indian society and emphasised to focus on severity faced by girl students coming from the margin. A common consensus of reopening education institutions and hostels was already there, this convention further emphasised its gravity on girls’ students educational rights. The “anti drop out squad” , a campaign by SFI CEC targeting the students forced to leave, would be a major task ahead. The rising crimes against women in this Hindutva regime and its probable legal and organisational response would also be a top priority in the coming days. Bridging a wider solidarity against the NEP that in essence curtails the right of common students to education has to be the long-standing plan of action to address multiple issues discussed in the convention.

The three-day long convention elected a 23-member girls’ sub-committee, which in turn elected Dipsita Dhar as convener and Sangeeta Das, Nabaneeta Chakraborty and Aishwarya K as co-conveners. SFI general secretary, Mayukh Biswas gave the concluding remarks by taking into account all the self-critical inputs and suggestions. He highlighted the need to fight the patriarchal tendencies inside the organisation at all levels and extra focus on building movements on the issues which came up during the discussions. Anjali, a 14-year-old SFI member of Karnataka whose feisty speech against dismissing eggs of mid-day meals went viral, her confidence on how the presence of SFI won’t let any injustice to happen to poor students, was the spirit that the delegates took back home for an indestructible struggle ahead.