When Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav shook the State Assembly and called Lucknow University Vice-Chancellor Ram Prakash Singh a dictator working at the behest of Governor TV Rajeswar, it may have appeared an over-reaction. It was but panic, for, by closing down the university sine die the V-C has dared the lion in his own den.

The student leaders the Vice-Chancellor is trying to tame are not just a few street toughies, but an integral part of the menacing brigade, which is at the beck and call of the Samajwadi Party. Ram Prakash Singh has caused a flutter in this army, and the general, at worst, can fret and at best, fume. His inability to do anything against the V-C is an area of concern for Mulayam because he cannot afford a loss of face in this crowd.

If the V-C has widespread support for his actions, it isn’t just for the university’s clean-up that he has initiated, but also for a symbolism that goes beyond to acquire a pan Uttar Pradesh appeal. The visual of last year’s elections where student leaders strutted about the campus with gunners and gun-toting supporters, in the presence of the police as a bystander, made the Lucknow University a representative of who the law and order machinery across the State works for.

After spitting venom in the State Assembly, the Chief Minister called an all-party meeting, called the V-C names, said he was out to destroy the university and that he should be sacked. Significantly, Mulayam also said, “What is wrong if the student leaders don’t wish elections according to the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations? Why should the Vice-Chancellor decide this?”

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