After INDIA parties, their youth wings form umbrella outfit, hold joint NEET protest

The protesters held flags and placards reading ‘SCRAP NTA’ and ‘#RENEET’, while 16 youths stood near the podium, their torsos bare with ‘RENEET LEAK SARKAR’ painted on the same.

Sarifa Rahman, the national-incharge of the Youth Congress, said that the first time the youth wings of INDIA bloc parties had come together was during a national convention called ‘Voice of Young India’, held in December last year. It drew activists of 17 INDIA party youth wings from across the country and was hosted by the All India Youth Federation.

On July 2, the IYF chose Youth Congress national president B Srinivas as its convenor, following which it announced its decision to organise the demonstration against the NEET exam. There is a Core Committee comprising around 20 members to run the affairs of the IYF, Rahman said.

Shejo, who is a part of this Core Committee and the Social Media Coordinator of the All India Youth Federation, told The Indian Express that the idea behind the December convention was “to create a platform to address the challenges of the youth unitedly”.

Fahad Ahmad, the Uttar Pradesh president of the Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, said that it was natural for them to take up “irregularities” in the NEET-UG examination as it was a national issue concerning thousands of youths.

The major demands of the IYF include reconducting the NEET-UG examination, which has been plagued by controversy and irregularities, scrapping of the National Testing Authority that conducts the exam, and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Rahman said that going forward, the IYF would hold at least two conclaves a month where “burning issues” such as unemployment would be taken up. The core committee members have started discussions on holding future gatherings in crucial states such as Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, which are headed for polls.

Shejo said they would soon hold a review meeting to discuss strategies and members for state-level core committees.