Young India Referendum: Progressive student groups announce nationwide Young India Rally

AISA revealed that among over one lakh students voted in the referendum, 91 per cent of them thought that the Central Government failed in its promise of creating two crore jobs every year  

The All India Students’ Association (AISA) announced the results of their Young India Referendum campaign today, February 12, in a press conference at the Press Club of India in New Delhi.

The nationwide campaign, which took place between February 7 and 9, 2024, aimed to shed light on the concerns of youngsters and students on education and employment under 10 years of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right ahead of the 2024 General Lok Sabha Elections.

In a statement released after the press conference, AISA revealed that over about one lakh students from over 60 central, state, and private Universities think that the current government has failed to provide them with “quality education” and “dignified employment”.

These universities include Delhi University, Jamia Milia Islamia, Ambedkar University, Banaras Hindu University, Central University of Andhra Pradesh, University of Hyderabad,  Calicut University, Manipal University, Azim Premji University, Periyar University, Patna University, Jadavpur University, and more.

Claiming that students and job-seekers alike participated enthusiastically in the referendum, AISA said that they “voted in favour of affordable education and dignified employment, where they voted on questions relating to the 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.”

It was found that 88.33 per cent of students were not in favour of the yearly fee hikes, 86 per cent of students denied that the Central Government has been able to provide adequate hostels and scholarships for students in need, and 91 per cent of students said that the Central Government failed in its promise of creating two crore jobs every year.

Emphasising the students’ “demand for education and dignified employment”, AISA iterated how in Banaras Hindu University (BHU), where “students are facing the biggest onslaught on universities, the BJP-led Yogi Government and the Modi-led Central Government”, over 1,700 students spoke out against the “Hindu majoritarian party”.

“The divisive policies of hate and communalism, coupled with corporate attack on education and employment, is being rejected in its entirety,” AISA declared in its statement.

In addition, the student organisation also released a “10-point chargesheet” against the Modi government, charging it with imposing “anti-student initiatives” like the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and Four-year Undergraduate Programmes (FYUP), massive fee hikes, rising unemployment among the youth, assaulting minorities and critical thinking, saffronisation of campuses, compromising the safety of women and social justice, attacking academic freedom, and repressing democratic voices.

Along with these, AISA also released an auxiliary Young India Charter, in conjunction with various progressive student organisations, with demands such as restoring student union elections, reinstating GCASH, increasing the number of seats and government colleges, rolling back fee hikes, and ensuring employment guarantee.

Further, a Chalo Delhi, Young India Rally was also announced by Young India, which is a forum of progressive students’ organisations and people’s movements on February 28. This forum aims to mobilise the youth across the states in which the referendum was conducted and expand the rally beyond these states too.

Among those addressing the press conference, were Dr Laxman Yadav, a former assistant professor at BHU; Natasha Narwal, a women and citizenship rights activist; Apoorva Y, an activist from the students’ movement at the South Asian University, New Delhi, and other leaders from various progressive student and youth activist organisations.

Young India Referendum: Progressive student groups announce nationwide Young India Rally