Kolkata: The past few months have been quite disappointing for Bengal, said All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora on Tuesday, alleging that the state has embraced a ‘brand of politics’ that is taking the country ‘toward dark times’.Bora, one of the prominent faces of the students’ protest against the alleged NEET paper leak who fasted for 23 days at Jantar Mantar, was in Kolkata as part of the Gen-Z Rising tour. She interacted with the media at the Press Club before addressing around 250 people at Rammohan Hall at an event organised by AISA-RYA.Referring to Bengal’s political situation, Bora said the ‘disappointment was not only about the electoral outcome’ but about the kind of politics that has gained ground in the state which has ‘taught the nation about social and gender justice from time to time’. “I understand that people have taken this step because of years of political frustration and disappointment. But if we have to reinvent Bengal and the country, it cannot be on the path of BJP,” she saidSpeaking to TOI later, Bora said her remarks referred to the manner in which the electios were conducted. “We have seen how the SIR was conducted in Bengal, resulting in the disenfranchisement of lakhs of genuine voters. There have also been allegations of EVM tampering,” she said.Quoting Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Where the mind is without fear’, Bora said the poem envisioned a country where citizens lived without fear and women felt safe. “This is the nation he is speaking about where if a theatre group performs a play named ‘Adab’, Bajrang dal will not launch an attack. He means that incidents like R G Kar should never happen and women are safe even at midnight,” Bora said.She also criticised the govt over the closure of nearly 8,000 public schools and its handling of the SSC teachers’ agitation. Referring to the nationwide student protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, Bora said the movement was about more than seeking Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. “It has shown that when people stand united, they can reclaim their rights and hold those in power democratically accountable,” she said, adding that student movements have historically driven social and political change.
