THE site of protest at the Pratap Park in Srinagar resembled a makeshift hospital with hundreds of youth lying under the tent with bottles of saline and glucose dangling above them. Over 200 members of the Jammu and Kashmir National Youth Corps Association have been living in the tents for the last 21 days like refugees in their own land. They are in the midst of a united struggle to secure their right to livelihood. Over 6000 of them across the state were recruited under a transparent policy and selection procedure by the concerned district development commissioners to serve in the 14 government departments as regular employees. Many of the youth were taken as contingent workers in school education department against the vacancies which were created when previous government announced upgradation of 800 schools to their higher levels.
The last National Conference-Congress government had taken a cabinet decision on their incorporation into different government services. However, while the National Conference-Congress government took a delayed decision almost at the end of their tenure with an eye on the elections, the present PDP-BJP government is deliberately harassing thousands of youth who are seeking employment based on their qualifications and a proper process of recruitment. Their services have been discontinued without reason, pushing them into a precarious situation. In the process, the lives of these youth and their dependents have been jeopardised. Clearly there is a tendency to exploit the sufferings of youth at the time of elections and then ignore their problems. Today thousands of youth are left in the lurch and left to fend for themselves by the PDP-BJP government. It is to be noted that in the state where employment opportunities for educated youth are scarce and unemployment is rising, the PDP-BJP state and BJP-led central government have proved to be a total failure in addressing their problems.
The youth have exhausted all avenues of democratic struggle, petitioned, submitted memorandums and protested at different government offices. All they received from the PDP-BJP government was empty promises and extremely insensitive approach to their genuine demands. This forced them to go in for an indefinite hunger strike till the government responds positively to their demands. After giving an ultimatum to the government, the NYC State Association had started the indefinite hunger strike on September 1, 2015 demanding that the cabinet decision be implemented. It is notable that when the state is often in the news for violent protests, this peaceful protest by hundreds of youth who have given up food for so many days is unfortunately not being given any attention. The present BJP government at centre and PDP-BJP government in the state talk much about the future of youth in the state but at the same time, they are closing down options for youth to peacefully live a life of dignity.
Over a hundred of the protestors have had to be hospitalised in a serious condition. Sitting amidst the numerous bottles of saline and glucose the hundreds of youth famished yet unwilling to give up their fight remain resolute that they will carry on their fight democratically. They are now intending to observe Eid ul Zuha with their families at the venue of protest.
Vijoo Krishnan, joint secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha and Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) visited the protestors on September 20 and expressed solidarity with the struggle of the National Youth Corps. He demanded that the government must immediately take a decision in order to end sufferings of the families directly or indirectly dependent on the volunteers and regularise their jobs. He also called upon all the political parties to work together to chalk out a comprehensive plan to address the menacing problem of unemployment in the state. He assured the protestors that their issues will be taken up at the national level and the CPI(M) will extend all support to their movement till justice is done. The Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Youth Federation leaders also expressed solidarity with the struggle.
Earlier, Yusuf Tarigami, CPI(M) MLA and Central Committee Member of the CPI(M) also visited the youth on hunger-strike and expressed solidarity with their struggle. He demanded that the government must honour the Government Order No. 787-EDU- of 2014 dated October 22, 2014 and called for implementation of the same in letter and spirit. He asked the state government to come clean on the issue and decide the fate of thousands of youth who have been unnecessarily discontinued from their services. He claimed that the present dispensation has brazenly disregarded the cabinet decision of the previous regime on absorption of NYC youth putting their lives in peril. He cautioned the political parties to refrain from ignoring the sufferings of educated unemployed youth and called for immediate intervention to resolve the problem.
