This is a clarion call to the students and youth of the country to congregate at Delhi to fight the BJP-RSS in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Today, at the Press Club of India, Raisina Road the results of the nation-wide ‘Young India Referendum’ were released. They have given a fitting rebuff to the Union Government, which in the last 10 years of being in power has utterly failed to ensure access to quality education and dignified employment.
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The ‘Young India Referendum’ was aimed to capture the opinions of students and youth to highlight their concerns on education and employment, was conducted in over 60 universities across the country, between February 7th and 9th, 2024.
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A 10 Point Chargesheet was released charging the government with causing massive fee hikes and unemployment, imposing anti-student CUET, FYUP, carrying out an assault on minorities and scientific temperament while compromising of social justice and social justice. An accompanying Student Youth Charter was also issued by various progressive students organisations.
With the slogans of ’10 years of Modi Govt, 10 questions of Young India’ and ‘Jhumla Nahi Jawaab Do, Das Saal ka Hisaab Do’ the ‘Young India Referendum’ was conducted in several Universities such as Delhi University, University of Allahabad, Patna University, Jamia Milia Islamia, University of Hyderabad, Bengaluru University, Periyar University, Jadavpur University (Kolkata), Calcutta University, ICFAI University (Tripura), Azim Premji University, Manipal University, amongst others.
The referendum aimed to capture the opinions of students and youth in light of the 2024 general elections. The referendum follows an all-India signature campaign where students and job-seekers posed ten questions to the Modi-led Central Government regarding its ten years in power.
The Press Conference was also addressed by leaders of various student-youth organisations and movements including apoorva Prashant Kamal, General Secretary of Yuva Halla Bol, Dinesh, General Secretary of AISF, Amit Singh from AISB, Niraj, General Secretary of RYA, Adarsh, Joint Secretary of SFI, Nilasis, President of AISA, Vijay, Chhatra Sabha Vice President Ahmed President of MSF, Anurag from CYSS and Saunkha from PSU.
Students responded enthusiastically to the Young India referendum and voted in favour of affordable education and dignified employment, where they voted on questions relating to yearly fee hike, provision of hostels and scholarships for students in need, and on the promise of the Central Government to generate 2 crore jobs every year.
At the Press Conference, Dr. Laxman Yadav, teacher and astivists addressed the gathering, saying, “our campuses are being turned into prisons. I am a former professor because the University didn’t want democratic minded people inside the campus and this peoject is being made universal.”
Natasha Narwal, women and citizenship rights activist said, “education has an emancipatory purpose. Students must learn critical thinking and start to question social injustice. However, the cirrent regime has actively sought to destroy this aspect of a public education.”
Nationally, about 1 lakh votes were polled in the referendum, where 88.33% students declared that they are not in favour of the yearly fee hike. About 86% students denied that the Central Government has been able to provide adequate hostels and scholarships for students in need, and that the Central Government has completely failed to deliver on its promise of generating 2 crore jobs every year.
In central universities like Delhi University, which garnered 13,048 votes, students polled 92%, 88% and 91% ‘no’ on the three questions, respectively. In Uttar Pradesh’s Benaras Hindu University, where students are facing the biggest onslaught on universities, 1711 number of students turned up at polling booths during the referendum and have spoken out against the Hindu majoritarian party.
91% students polled against fee hike, 79% said they haven’t benefitted from the Central Government scholarships or hostels, and 87% said that the governments have failed to generate employment for youth. The divisive policies of hate and communalism, coupled with corporate attack on education and employment, is being rejected in its entirety!
A ‘Chalo Delhi, Young India Rally’ with the slogan of ‘ 2024 Ka Agenda, Tay Karega Young India’ has been called on February 28th, 2024 by Young India, a forum of progressive student organisations and people’s movements.
