When ABVP takes on BJP: What explains its protests against the party

6 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Sep 9, 2026 11:15 PM IST Protesters raise slogans during the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)-led 'Nyay Yatra' over the Satya Niketan building collapse and other demands, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo) The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student organisation associated with the Sangh Parivar, has stepped up its protest against the collapse of a student hostel in South West Delhi’s Satya Niketan, holding demonstrations and sit-ins across several Delhi University (DU) campuses and demanding the suspension of MCD Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar. The protests against a BJP-run MCD in a BJP-run Delhi and with a BJP-run Central government came a day after the five-storey building housing a boys’ PG near DU’s South Campus collapsed, killing at least seven and injuring several others.This is not the first time the ABVP has protested against a government or a civic body led by the BJP. Recent run-ins A month ago, the ABVP protested against the Bhajan Lal Sharma government in Rajasthan for not reviving student union polls. The student organisation staged demonstrations across the state.

In late August, the outfit organised protests, dubbed the “Vidyarthi Hunkar” campaign, across the state to demand basic facilities and infrastructure — such as libraries, laboratories, sanitation, drinking water facilities — in government colleges. In Indore, protesters broke through police barricades outside the Collector’s office. Delhi Police detain an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad member protesting at the MCD Office at Civic Centre over the Satya Niketan building collapse incident, in New Delhi on Sunday. (ANI Video Grab)In 2025, the ABVP turned up the heat against the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, protesting at the Lucknow-Barabanki border against Barabanki’s Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, alleging that the Bar Council of India did not recognise its courses. This led to a clash with the police, who beat up the ABVP workers.

The ABVP then protested against the police action, staging a demonstration in front of the residence of UP minister O P Rajbhar, who allegedly called them “goons”. To ensure the situation did not spiral out of control, UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya backed the ABVP and visited the hospital. UP Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyaya also criticised the police action.Story continues below this ad In September 2024, when the BJP started a membership drive at the Government Holkar Science College in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, the ABVP immediately protested against “political events” on campuses. They also forced the college principal to bar political events on campus without their permission. In July 2023, the ABVP clashed with the UP Police after they protested against the Gorakhpur University administration on issues such as fee hikes, and also allegedly assaulted senior university administration officials. An FIR was registered against ABVP workers. In 2022, the ABVP stormed the residence of Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra when the BJP was in power in the state, accusing the state government of not being able to protect its youth worker Praveen Nettaru, who had been murdered. The minister was not at his residence at the time. FIRs were registered against ABVP workers. What explains the protests Compared to the NSUI, which is the Congress’s student wing, the AISF that is the CPI’s student outfit, the CPI(M)’s student outfit SFI, or CPI(M-L)’s student outfit AISA, the ABVP is not directly controlled by the BJP and that provides it with more manoeuvring room to take on a government ruled by the party.Story continues below this ad The ABVP was established in 1948 and formally registered in 1949 as a student organisation associated with the RSS. This was part of a pattern where RSS volunteers set up different organisations to work among different segments of society. The ABVP’s task was reaching out to college and university students and countering the Left on campuses. The ABVP thus has an older history than both the Jana Sangh — the first RSS-associated political organisation, which was founded in 1951 — and the BJP, which succeeded the Jana Sangh in 1980. Second, while the career progression of an NSUI worker is first the Indian Youth Congress and then the Congress, an ABVP worker may end up in any of the Sangh Parivar organisations and not necessarily the BJP. Even while ABVP workers may aspire to go to the BJP, given the access to power — many have made the transition successfully — that is not their default journey. “The lives of students are most important for the ABVP. When such disastrous news comes (the building collapse), the ABVP is not looking at whose government it is, the BJP or some other party. Students coming from different parts of India to build their careers lost their lives due to PG mismanagement. We had demanded an audit of such PGs even when AAP was in government. We want action against all officials involved, up to the MCD commissioner who used to get a stadium vacated to take his dog for a walk but did not do anything for the students who lost their lives because the accommodation collapsed,” said Harsh Attri, the ABVP’s national media convener. “We have ideological links with the BJP, but our commitment is to student issues,” said an ABVP worker, who did not wish to be named.Story continues below this ad There is also the pattern of RSS-linked outfits hitting the streets even if the BJP is in power to occupy the opposition space and squeeze out the Opposition parties. Post-liberalisation, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch was one of the voices against globalisation and was an especially vocal critic of the BJP government in the Vajpayee years. This pattern, insiders say, allows the Sangh Parivar outfits to ensure that if there is criticism of some policy of the government, those disliking it may take solace that there are voices in the Sangh Parivar speaking about their concerns. However, this isn’t a Sangh phenomenon alone: even in the Congress-led UPA days, Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council (NAC) catered to the opinion of the Left while Dr Manmohan Singh and some senior ministers in his government were simultaneously seen as champions of globalisation. Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More Tags: ABVP Bharatiya Janata Party Congress cpi delhi Building collapse NSUI