Youngsters take to Delhi streets for better education, jobs
Students, farmers, social activists, educationists and leaders from different political parties shared a common platform to demand 10% of GDP allocation for education, filling up vacancies in government jobs, stop paper leaks and corruption in recruitment, end gender discrimination in institutes, and provide jobs to the youth.
Thousands of students from across the country marched from Red Fort to Parliament Street Thursday to register their protest against the Centre’s education policy and unemployment.
Students, farmers, social activists, educationists and leaders from different political parties shared a common platform to demand 10% of GDP allocation for education, filling up vacancies in government jobs, stop paper leaks and corruption in recruitment, end gender discrimination in institutes, and provide jobs to the youth.
“Some years ago, a close friend didn’t find a job and killed himself. Unemployment and unaffordable education are major problems,” Rishikesh Yevlekar, 39, an engineer, said.
Pointing towards a sweet potato seller, he asked, “He can’t be earning more than a few hundred rupees a day, but does that qualify as a dignified job and can we term it employment?”
Barun Paswan, a farmer from Bihar’s Jehanabad, said the march was to express the anger faced by the common man. “Instead of keeping their promise to provide jobs, they decided to implement demonetisation and GST, which further reduced employment opportunities. This government has proved to be useless,” he said.
Several political leaders criticised the Centre over issues such as implementation of the 13-point roster, EWS quota and systemic attack on universities. “We know how students have been silenced ever since this government came to power. We are here to say in one voice that we won’t tolerate this anymore and young Indians have come to free the country from this fascist government,” DMK MP Kanimozhi said.
Extending his party’s support to the youth movement, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav said, “There was a need for all youth organisations to come together since the government has cheated the people and exploited students.”
Dalit leader and Vadgam (Gujarat) MLA Jignesh Mevani said the youth have shown their might to the current government by taking to the streets. “The Prime Minister should know that if he is unable to provide jobs, his gharwapsi is fixed in the upcoming general elections,” he said.
A group of workers from factories, anganwadis, and transport sector also came forward with a draft employment bill, along the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, demanding the right to employment.