Students unions to begin campaign against Modi govt

A pan-India students and youths organisations' collective-Young India National Coordination Committee (YINCC) has said it will begin campaigns next month across the country to vote BJP out of power for "ditching" the student community.

The body, consisting of 42 students and youth organisations, includes students' unions of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Aligarh Muslim University, Allahabad University and Rajasthan University.

JNU Students Union President (JNUSU) Sai Balaji said the collective would begin campaigns across the country from next month (March), in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

"The present government has clearly ditched us in several ways and we have been bearing the brunt of it. This campaign is also to vote the BJP out of power," Balaji told PTI during an interaction.

Last week, thousands of students and youths of the collective took out a march in the national capital from Red Fort to Parliament Street demanding jobs and better educational opportunities.

"To any new government, our demands would be to fill all vacant posts in the government, offer an education loan waiver," Balaji said, referring to a charter released by YINCC.

The charter demands allocation of at least 10 per cent on education in the budget, ending the practice of alleged seat-cuts in universities, fee hike, reservation-cut in higher educational institutions.

"End gender discriminatory rules, ensure academic freedom and freedom of expression on campuses, fulfil constitutionally-mandated reservations," it said.