Stir against paper leaks, fee hikes becoming nationwide campaign: Dipankar

CPI(ML) Liberation general-secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya on Sunday, 2 August says the ongoing movement against corruption in education, paper leaks and fee hikes had expanded beyond Gen Z, with school students now joining the protests.

Addressing a press conference in Patna, Bhattacharya said the campaign against corruption in education, rising fees, attacks on university autonomy and the alleged crackdown on student protests had evolved into a nationwide movement drawing participation from the younger generation.

"The ongoing student movement is no longer confined to Gen Z but has also drawn the participation of Gen Alpha, with school students raising education-related issues," he said.

Gen Z generally refers to those born between the late 1990s and around 2010, while Gen Alpha includes those born between 2010 and 2024, though the exact years vary across definitions.

Holding Union home minister Amit Shah responsible for the recent lathi-charge on students in Delhi, Bhattacharya said accountability should be fixed not only on the education minister but also on the home minister. He also alleged that despite the government's announcement that cases against protesting students would be withdrawn, not all such cases were being dropped. "This amounts to a violation of democratic and human rights," he said.

Accusing the BJP-led NDA government of trying to suppress student protests, Bhattacharya asserted that every attempt to crush what he described as a nationwide movement would fail. He said the agitation reflected widespread public support and had also received the backing of workers and other labouring sections of society.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bhattacharya alleged that the prime minister's recent video message, in which he spoke about 'forgiving' students, appeared to encourage conservative and patriarchal forces against women students under the guise of forgiveness.

He further alleged that even a 15-year-old girl had been deliberately targeted, and said standing with the younger generation was essential to safeguarding democracy and bringing about meaningful reforms in the education system.

The press conference was also addressed by CPI(ML) Liberation MLA Sandeep Sourav, AISA Bihar president Dhananjay and other student leaders. Sourav, who was arrested by the Bihar Police in connection with protests in Patna over the alleged NEET paper leak, claimed that students and young people across the country were deeply dissatisfied with the Modi government's policies and were prepared to fight for their rights. He also alleged that attempts were being made to weaken the movement by specifically targeting women students.

With PTI inputs