Student Protest Victory Is Beginning of the End for BJP Govt: CPI(M)

Kochi: CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby on Saturday described the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as a landmark victory for the student-led agitation over the alleged NEET examination irregularities, asserting that it marked "the beginning of the end" of the BJP government at the Centre.

Addressing reporters here, Baby said the success of the agitation was the BJP government's second major political setback after it was forced to repeal the three contentious farm laws following the year-long farmers' protest.

"Some television channels described this as the first time the Narendra Modi government had been forced to bow before a public agitation. We should not forget the historic farmers' movement under the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which compelled the government to withdraw the three anti-farmer laws after more than a year of struggle," he said.

Calling the latest development an equally significant victory, Baby said the Union minister directly responsible for the education sector had ultimately been forced to resign despite attempts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shield him.

"The beginning of the end of BJP rule has been marked through the victory of this student protest," he said, expressing hope that the remaining demands of the agitation would also be achieved through continued public campaigns.

Baby said the agitation at Jantar Mantar, which began on June 20 and continued for 35 days, witnessed an unprecedented mobilisation of students and youth from across the country.

"This is the victory of one phase of the struggle led by students and youth. It is also the victory of opposition political parties and a large section of public figures who normally do not intervene in political issues," he said.

He said eminent personalities, including cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, actors Mammootty, Naseeruddin Shah and Manju Warrier, and writer N S Madhavan, had publicly supported the movement, making it a broad-based democratic campaign rather than merely a student agitation.

Baby said students affiliated with organisations such as the Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Federation (AISF), and All India Students' Association (AISA) supported the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which spearheaded the movement.

Claiming that the authorities resorted to excessive force, Baby alleged that police used lathis fitted with iron nails, electric rods, pellet firing and other methods against peaceful protesters.

"I saw electric rods being used to give shocks to children. A student had to be placed on a ventilator. Another lost eyesight after pellet firing and underwent surgery," he alleged.

Despite the crackdown, he said, the movement only gathered momentum and eventually forced the Centre to concede one of the protesters' principal demands.

Baby, however, said several other demands remained unresolved.

These included compensation of Rs one crore to the families of students who died by suicide, withdrawal of criminal cases against protesters and a comprehensive inquiry into alleged irregularities in entrance examinations.

According to Baby, the organisations leading the protest have decided to request former Supreme Court judge Justice Gopala Gowda to head an independent inquiry into the alleged police excesses and submit a report identifying those responsible.

"The Union Government itself should have ordered such an inquiry. Instead, the organisations leading the movement are taking the initiative to ensure accountability," he said.

Criticising the Supreme Court, Baby referred to observations made by the Chief Justice during proceedings related to the protests and questioned whether sufficient attention had been paid to allegations of police violence.

He also took a swipe at the Chief Justice, saying some of his remarks had inadvertently helped inspire the formation of the Cockroach Janata Party after protesters embraced the term "cockroach" used during the controversy.

Turning to education policy, Baby alleged that the BJP government was pursuing what he called the "three Cs"-centralisation, commercialisation and communalisation.

He said the centralisation of entrance examinations through the National Testing Agency (NTA), the commercialisation of education and attempts at communalisation continued to be major concerns, adding that the demand to abolish the NTA remained unaddressed.

Asked about the Congress party's role, Baby said Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had not visited the Jantar Mantar protest site during the agitation, although he welcomed Gandhi's later support after opposition parties decided to take up the issue in Parliament.

"The Left never had any doubt about supporting the agitation from the very beginning. Even if it came later, we welcome Rahul Gandhi's role in taking up the issue," he said.

In a Facebook post, Baby congratulated students and youth of the country.

"Pradhan's resignation is only the first step. Now the NTA Exams have to be disbanded and the anti-student, commercial and communal NEP 2020 has to be rolled back as well. Cases foisted on the protesters have to be dropped, and action has to be taken against all police personnel who brutally attacked our students," he said

He said congratulations are also due to Abhijeet Dipke, Sonam Wangchuk and all the student organisations, including SFI who braved all sorts of threats and stood steadfast in the path of struggle.

"This experience shows us that united struggles will be victorious. We should stay resilient and continue on till all our demands are met. Onwards, comrades!," he said.