A JOINT convention of students and youth was held successfully on 8^th April 8, the day when Bhagat Singh, accompanied by Batukeshwar Dutt in 1929, threw two bombs into Central Assembly (the present-day Lok Sabha) protesting against the Public Safety Bill. They could probably have escaped but they stayed shouting the slogan Inquilab Zindabad ("Long Live the Revolution") and threw leaflets. This convention was dedicated to the memory of Bhagat Singh and his ideas. It resolved to carry forward his ideas to build a democratic, secular and socialist India, free from all injustice.

Bhagat Singh has a special relevance to contemporary India, with the increasing aggressiveness of imperialism bearing down on the country and the world; with millions of workers, peasants, agricultural labourers and even sections of the middle classes becoming prime targets of the rapacious strategy of imperialist globalisation; with the economic and political sovereignty of the country itself being threatened by the worst form of neo-colonialism; and with all kinds of communal, casteist and terrorist forces out to destroy the country’s unity and integrity. Bhagat Singh is especially important in the present times when there is an environment of communal hate and violence against minorities, SC/STs and women. Secularism was, indeed, an article of faith with Bhagat Singh all his life. He understood the danger that communalism posed to Indian society. He often warned his comrades and followers that communalism was as big an enemy as colonialism. Religion, said Bhagat Singh, was the private concern of a person, but it had to be fought as an enemy when it intruded into politics and took the form of communalism.

This convention was presided by Professor Chaman Lal and was addressed mainly by Professor Chandu Majra (MP), Pawan Bansal, former rail minister, Abhay Sandhu, nephew of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Vijay Mishra Central Committee member of CPI(M), Jagroop (CPI) and Isha of CPI(ML). All these political speakers supported the resolution of the convention and explained the relevance of Bhagat Singh’s ideas in the present context.

Youth leader Balbeer Preshar (national treasurer of DYFI) Sukhvinder (AIYF), Naresh (DYFI) and student leader Mahipal, Harinder Bajwa from SFI and Gursevak Singh from PSU also addressed the convention and took a pledge to carry forward the ideas of Bhagat Singh.  Student and youth leaders from four states (Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh) were the delegates in the convention. The convention unanimously adopted a resolution which was handed over to the Punjab and Haryana state governments, central government and president of India.

The convention was preceded by an intensive campaign in the four north Indian states reaching out to lakhs of students and youth. Separate state level jathas were organised reaching out to schools, colleges, villages and localities. A ‘Chandigarh Chalo’ call was given on March 21 in which thousands of students participated, braving lathicharge by the Chandigarh police.

The demands of the movement are as follows:

·        Name the Chandigarh Airport in the name of Bhagat Singh

·        Include the writings of Bhagat Singh in school syllabus

·        Establish Bhagat Singh chair or study centres in the institutes of higher learning.

·        At least one central university should be named in the name of Bhagat Singh

This convention gave a call to carry forward the momentum of this campaign.