The Student-Youth Movement Secures Victory Through the Extraordinary Courage and Indomitable Resolve of the Country’s Students and Youth
Finally, with the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan and the dismissal of the most senior officials of the NTA, the BJP government has also accepted the other two major demands of the student-youth movement. Union Cabinet Minister J. P. Nadda has publicly announced that all FIRs filed against students during the movement will be withdrawn, no legal action will be pursued against them, and compensation will be provided to the families of students who committed suicide due to the paper leak scam.
The Modi government has been compelled to bow down and accept the immediate charter of demands raised by this courageous and historic movement of students and youth. This marks a huge victory for the student-youth movement. Certainly, the larger and more far-reaching struggle continues: the fight to repeal the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, to end the commercialization of education, to stop its communalization, and ultimately to establish free and equal education as a fundamental right for every young person in the country.
It will also be necessary to closely monitor the final outcome of the ongoing restructuring within the NTA. The present movement was only one milestone in this longer struggle. After a brief pause to gather strength, students and youth across the country must prepare themselves to continue fighting until these broader demands are met.
Secondly, apart from the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the BJP government has so far accepted the remaining demands only through public verbal assurances. Students and youth must therefore remain vigilant and alert to ensure that these promises are actually implemented on the ground. If the government fails to fulfil them, we must be prepared to immediately resume the movement. The reason is that the Modi government’s record of honoring its promises has not been particularly good. Therefore, even while celebrating our victory, revolutionary vigilance must not be forgotten.
During the struggle, students and youth displayed indomitable courage, patience, and wisdom. They stood firm in the face of brutal police repression and decisively defeated the BJP’s campaign of slander, which branded the movement as a “Pakistani conspiracy,” a “Chinese conspiracy,” “American-funded,” “anti-national,” and more.
The people of the country—parents, workers, labouring masses, delivery workers, and many others—stood wholeheartedly with our movement. Instead of saying thanks to them we would say: Long live the struggle! Long live the revolution! Even in the coming days, every class and section of the people must continue to unite and fight together in the same spirit whether the issue concerns workers, women, Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis, or students and youth. This was one of the most important lessons of the movement.
Despite the Sangh Parivar’s divisive attempts, the movement completely rejected communal politics and every effort to divide people along Hindu-Muslim lines. Students across the country effectively countered every attempt by Sangh-affiliated goons to derail the movement. This too stands out as one of the movement’s most significant lessons.
The movement has taught us many more things, whose review and summation can only be done after a few days, once these experiences settle in our minds. For now, the priority is to consolidate this victory while remaining vigilant to ensure that every government promise is fulfilled and that the Modi government, out of desperation, does not dare to carry out any retaliatory action against students and youth.
Long live the formidable unity of the students and youth of the country!
Long live the combative unity of the people!
The age of darkness shall pass—those who fight shall win!
The warmth of youthful blood shall melt the valley of ice!
Disha Students’ Organisation
Join the Struggle-La Lucha Telegram channel