DYFI men baffle at leader for abusing NRI quota

KASARGOD: The CPM district committee is likely to seek explanation from party district committee member and DYFI state treasurer V V Ramesan in connection with the admission of his daughter in the NRI quota at the Pariyaram Medical College.The district committee may also discuss the issue since it has embarrassed the party cadre. The CPM district leaders said that Ramesan had informed the party about the admission of his daughter, but did not give details of admission in the NRI quota or about the hefty fees.What really embarrassed and surprised the ordinary party activists was that how a DYFI state leader and CPM district committee member could shell out Rs 50 lakh for the admission of his daughter in a medical college and what would be the source of his income.Most of the party activists do not believe that the seat was ‘sponsored’ by his brother in-law in the Gulf. According to Ramesan, only Rs 5 lakh was paid to ensure the seat and the balance would be paid in instalments.But whatever be the argument of Ramesan, the party workers could not digest the fact that  a DYFI leader could pay such a hefty fees, even in instalments. There may also be a limit to ‘what a kind-hearted brother-in-law’ could help in financing the education of his niece.The DYFI had unleashed an agitation against the then UDF government in the early 90s against the self-financing colleges which ended up in police firing in Koothuparamba,  killing five DYFI activists. Now within 20 years, even DYFI leaders could dream of enrolling their wards in the NRI quota.The DYFI leaders had then argued that it would be half-baked doctors who would come out of medical colleges by studying in the NRI quota. The DYFI’s then theoretical view was that the ‘substandard and good-for-nothing doctors’ that the medical colleges would churn out would be a threat to the society at large. The DYFI had then argued for the cause of the intelligent, but poor students saying that they would be deprived of higher education if the self-financing colleges had their way. The time has really changed and the DYFI leaders have become enormously rich, while bright students from poor families are left in the lurch  to fend for themselves.