From the Urdu Press: ‘Gen Z stir historic, gives a shot in arm to Constitution, unites the country’

Highlighting Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation that came over a month after students and youths began their protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak, the Lucknow-based Aag, in its July 26 editorial, writes that this movement has become a landmark in the political and democratic history of India, with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protesters forcing the Narendra Modi government to blink, underlining the supremacy of people’s power in a democracy. “The youth stir did not merely ensure the exit of a minister, but also marked a stellar success of our democracy, the principle of accountability and the constitutional right to peaceful protest,” it says.

The editorial states that addressing the jubilant protesters, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke sent out a message to the people of the country about the power of a united youth saying, “They said there could not be any resignation in this government. The world bows down, and one who makes it bow is needed.” It notes that “Dipke also asked his supporters not to make him a hero over Pradhan’s resignation, stressing that the country has been ruined because one person has been made a hero.”

The edit points out that the youth agitation for reforms in the education and examination system captivated the world, adding that international human rights organisations expressed concerns over the Delhi police’s lathi-charge and tear gas shelling against the protesters during their July 20 March on Parliament. “Even the United Nations voiced its concern, stating that it is incumbent on security forces to ensure the right of people to protest peacefully without the fears of harassment, arrest or injury,” it notes.

The Jantar Mantar protest has reilluminated the dynamism and flexibility of our democracy, says the daily. “A government perceived to be tough and uncompromising was pushed by a fledgling youth platform, floated originally as an online satirical collective, to fire one of its senior ministers. This indicates that public pressure still works on police-makers. After the 2020-21 farmer agitation, the youth protest marked the second time when the Modi government was forced to retreat. This establishes that the fundamental principles of India’s Constitution and the concept of public accountability still endure.”

However, the edit says, just the education minister’s resignation would not fix the structural deficiencies of our exam system. “More challenging would be to revamp the National Testing Agency (NTA), take on the exam mafia, implement a more stringent law against paper leaks, and ensure transparency so that the trust of our young could be restored.”

SIASAT

Commenting on the stunning success of the student protest, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its July 26 editorial, says that when the CJP-led protesters started their sit-in at Jantar Mantar on June 20, no one had believed that this would spiral to a scale and intensity that it would put the Modi government on the back foot for the first time in 12 years. “Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had also launched his outreach to students from Kota to bring their concerns under a national spotlight. Rahul’s ‘Chhatron ki goonj’ initiative amplified the student voices,” the editorial notes. “The mainstream media initially turned a blind eye to both the Jantar Mantar agitation as well as the LoP’s campaign in the same way the government has ignored the Opposition,” it says. “The government turned its back on the youth stir for one month. Some vested interests even tried to derail and defame it, but the protest managed to galvanise students across the country and dominated national discourse.”

The daily writes that a significant aspect of the student agitation was the point that attempts were made to polarise it on communal lines. “But the youths kept their focus on their real issues — the broken education system and alleged malpractices in various exams — which eventually bore fruits,” it says. “Countering the bids to drive a wedge between communities, the students, displaying sagacity and spirit, succeeded in actually uniting the country, which has been reflected by their protests in all cities. They have dealt a blow to the politics of hate, upholding the cause of India’s unity in diversity.”

The edit states that the young have proved that “India has endured as a multicultural nation infused with love, whose soil intrinsically militates against hate”. “They have brought about a change in the political and communal atmosphere of the country. Their protest will go down in history, with its essence defined by a powerful message of unity and harmony.”

INQUILAB

Referring to the Supreme Court’s observation that there cannot be police excesses or violence merely because there is an agitation, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its July 28 leader, says the true spirit of democracy lies in the Constitution-guaranteed public right to hold peaceful protests, where the state would protect them rather than suppress the protesters with batons, tear gas shells and guns. “The apex court has rightly said that there could not be excesses against a peaceful agitation and that such excesses should be examined independently. This however came days after many students and youths faced alleged police brutality and even detention for their protests,” it says, noting that the top court had earlier rejected a plea to intervene in the matter of the Delhi police’s action against the Jantar Mantar protesters, telling the lawyer who raised the matter “not to waste the court’s time”. “It is expected from courts that they should take suo motu cognisance of cases when people’s fundamental rights are subverted besides taking the administration to task and reinforce civil liberties,” the editorial says. “A timely intervention could have perhaps checked police crackdown on youth protesters in Bihar.”

The daily states that some crucial questions arise out of the ruling dispensation’s stance. “If Dharmendra Pradhan has stepped down owning moral responsibility over the NEET leak, what does his hero’s welcome in the Parliament complex by BJP MPs afterwards signal? Is it not a bid to trivialise student protests and their anguish? If fixing accountability is merely a ritualistic play, then his resignation may just be a cosmetic move,” it says.

“The government must understand that students are the future of the country and are not against the state. The response to their grievances is not lathi-charge but justice, transparency and accountability. Delayed justice or measures could not apply a healing touch,” notes the edit, calling for independent probes into all instances of paper leaks, police excesses and violation of rights. “The message must go to the country’s youths that their voices will not be suppressed but earnestly heard.”