In a resounding affirmation of Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) progressive legacy, K. Gopika Babu, the newly elected Vice President of the JNUSU, has emerged as a powerful voice for global solidarity, prominently raising the banner of support for Palestine amid a landslide Left Unity victory.
Elected on November 6, 2025, with the highest margin in the students’ union polls — a staggering 1,314 votes — Gopika, a PhD scholar in Law and Governance and a member of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), secured 3,101 votes against her ABVP rival’s 1,787. Her triumph, part of a complete sweep by the Left Unity panel (AISA-SFI-DSF), marks a decisive rejection of the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and a revival of JNU’s tradition of dissent, justice, and internationalism.
A Victory Speech That Echoed Beyond Campus
In her electrifying post-victory address on November 7, Gopika did not confine her vision to campus issues. She boldly linked local struggles with global resistance, declaring:
“This victory is a mandate against hatred, Brahmanism, Hindutva nationalism, and the genocide being perpetrated against the people of Palestine, Congo, and Sudan.”
Her explicit solidarity with Palestine — a recurring theme in Left campaigns — drew thunderous applause and immediately sparked controversy. Celebrations outside the JNU administration block saw students waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine,” only for ABVP members to allegedly tear down the flags, triggering clashes and police intervention.
JNU की नवनिर्वाचित उपाध्यक्ष गोपिका ने उठाई फिलिस्तीन के समर्थन में आवाज़.#JNU #Election #Palestine #India pic.twitter.com/2MJBLlMvby
— Journo Mirror (@JournoMirror) November 8, 2025
Palestine at the Heart of JNU’s Politics
For Gopika and the Left Unity, solidarity with Palestine is not symbolic — it is structural. In campaign speeches and manifestos, the coalition framed the Palestinian struggle as part of a broader fight against imperialism, occupation, and state violence — drawing parallels with issues in Kashmir, Manipur, and the targeting of dissenters in India.
“We stand with every people resisting genocide and occupation,” Gopika said. “From Palestine to Ladakh, from farmers in Delhi to students in JNU — our fight is one.”
This stance is deeply rooted in JNU’s history. The campus has long been a hub for anti-imperialist politics, hosting talks, film screenings, and protests in support of Palestinian self-determination. The 2023–2024 Gaza crisis intensified this activism, with students organizing vigils, teach-ins, and solidarity marches — often met with administrative crackdowns and ABVP disruptions.
Backlash and the “Anti-National” Charge
Right-wing critics were quick to pounce. Social media erupted with memes mocking the Left’s focus on Palestine: “Did elections happen in Gaza or JNU?” Some accused Gopika and her comrades of prioritizing foreign issues over Indian students.
But Gopika remains unapologetic.
“Calling solidarity ‘anti-national’ is a tactic to silence dissent,” she told reporters. “When farmers are attacked, when activists like Umar Khalid are jailed without trial, when public universities are privatized — that is the real betrayal of India. Palestine reminds us that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
A New Generation of Leadership
At just over 25, Gopika represents a new wave of student leaders — women, from regional backgrounds, fluent in both local and global languages of resistance. Hailing from Kerala, a former Sociology topper at Miranda House (DU), and now a legal scholar at JNU’s Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, she brings intellectual rigor and grassroots energy to the table.
Her agenda as Vice President includes:
- Defending public education against NEP-driven privatization
- Fighting caste, gender, and religious discrimination on campus
- Restoring democratic spaces like late-night GBMs and protest rights
- Building transnational solidarity networks with student movements worldwide
A Message to the Nation
Gopika’s rise sends a clear signal: JNU refuses to be tamed. In an era of shrinking civic space, her voice — amplified by Palestine, grounded in justice — challenges the narrative of a monolithic, conformist India.
As she took oath on November 7 alongside President Aditi Mishra (AISA), General Secretary Sunil Yadav (DSF), and Joint Secretary Danish Ali (AISA), Gopika looked out at a sea of red flags and declared:
“This is not just a students’ union. This is a movement. And movements don’t bow — they build.”
For Palestine. For justice. For a freer India.
The fight, as Gopika Babu reminds us, has only just begun.