The campaign, which was launched on 19 November by Congress’ student wing NSUI, is aimed at putting student issues on the national agenda.
New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday reached out to the country’s students, who are likely to play a key role in the 2019 polls, urging them to join the party’s youth-centric campaign — ‘Behtar Bharat/Future of India’.
The campaign, which was launched on 19 November by Congress’ student wing NSUI, is aimed at putting student issues on the national agenda.
Calling students the “nation builders”, Gandhi said in a letter written Thursday that he is “constantly awed by the energy and dynamism of student community”.
In the letter addressed to the student community, Gandhi gave details of the programme. He also states that students are nation-builders, because nations today forge ahead not with war but with advances in science, technology, art and literature and with the embrace of rationality and justice.
Gandhi also highlighted some of the key concerns of students — high fees, tough competition for limited seats, lack of information/direction, gap between education and employment.
He has urged students to join this campaign pointing out that he respects their struggle and determination and wants to work with them.
The letter, translated into all regional languages, will be distributed by the NSUI in colleges across the country as part of the ‘Behtar Bharat’ campaign to mobilise students.
Gandhi’s letter is significant as students are protesting a fee hike in Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. IIT Delhi had also increased its fee for master’s degree courses.
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Why the campaign?
According to the NSUI, the Behtar Bharat campaign aims to provide institutional space for students to engage with national political leadership and influence agenda for 2019 general elections and create meaningful political mobilisation around relevant youth issues.
It also said the campaign seeks to give idealistic and articulate young people a constructive political platform and give young people a progressive sense of identity and nationalism.
NSUI said the campaign will focus on access to opportunities and mentoring at the block level, overhaul of the examination system, access to quality among others.