(wl-9588)-From Isolation to Navnirman - A History of Student Politics in Gujarat (1967–75)

The period between 1967 and 1975 was a tumultuous one for student politics in Gujarat, including but not limited to, the Navnirman Agitation, due to which the sitting Chief Minister was forced to resign and the State Legislative Assembly was dissolved. Although its importance in Gujarat, particularly during this time, is often acknowledged, there exists no systematic study of student politics in the state. Based on the examination of written, official, semi-official, and non-official sources, this article is an attempt at writing the history of student politics from its resurgence in Gujarat in 1967 to the imposition of the Internal Emergency in 1975. The article covers all the major student agitations that took place during this time, but more importantly, also touches on numerous unorganised, and spontaneous protests and outbursts, which were arguably the most prominent elements of student political activity at the time and tries to understand the nature and content of these unorganised agitations.