From NEET Aspirant's Death To MSP Guarantee, CPI Rally Brings Education, Jobs And Farmers’ Concerns To Delhi

New Delhi: For octogenarian Ramjot Singh from Aurangabad in Bihar, the journey to Delhi was not merely about attending a political rally. It was an opportunity to raise his voice against what he believes is a deeply flawed education system—one that, he says, is pushing students from poor and middle-class families towards despair.

“I really want a change in India’s education system so that students from poor and even middle-class families do not have to commit suicide. We need an education system free from corruption and favouritism,” Ramjot told ETV Bharat on Tuesday at the ‘Badlaav Zaroori Hai’ (Change Is Necessary) rally organised by the Communist Party of India (CPI) at Ramlila Maidan.

Thousands of participants gathered at Ramlila Maidan, raising demands related to rising prices, unemployment, education, healthcare, MSP, workers’ rights, electoral reforms and social justice. (ETV Bharat)

Ramjot, a farmer, recalled the recent death of 18-year-old Shreyam, a NEET aspirant from Muzaffarpur, who was found dead in his hostel room after allegedly consuming a toxic substance. Police later recovered a purported suicide note in which he reportedly expressed despair over failing to achieve his academic ambitions.

For Ramjot, the incident reflects the mounting pressure faced by students preparing for highly competitive examinations, particularly those from families unable to afford expensive private coaching or prolonged academic support.

But education was only one of the concerns that brought participants from different parts of the country to the national capital.

Ramekbal Singh from Aurangabad, along with Sukhbindar Singh and Darshan from Jalandhar in Punjab, were among those who participated in the programme, which brought together farmers, workers, women’s organisations and representatives of Dalit and Adivasi communities.

Sukhbindar Singh and Darshan from Jalandhar in Punjab, were among those who participated in the rally, which brought together farmers, workers, women’s organisations and representatives of Dalit and Adivasi communities. (ETV Bharat)

For Sukhbindar Singh, the primary concern was agriculture and the demand for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).

“We want a legal guarantee of MSP. Mere announcements are insufficient when farmers lack an enforceable mechanism ensuring remunerative prices. A legal guarantee can provide the certainty required for agricultural planning and protect farmers from distress sales,” he said.

Thousands of participants gathered at Ramlila Maidan, raising demands related to rising prices, unemployment, education, healthcare, MSP, workers’ rights, electoral reforms and social justice.

The rally marked the culmination of nationwide padayatras organised from August 6 to 15 to mobilise public opinion around these issues.

Addressing the gathering and speaking to ETV Bharat, CPI national general secretary D Raja launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre, accusing it of pursuing policies that favour a handful of corporate groups.

Thousands of participants gathered at Ramlila Maidan, raising demands related to rising prices, unemployment, education, healthcare, MSP, workers’ rights, electoral reforms and social justice. (ETV Bharat)

“The BJP-led government at the Centre is running a fascist regime. Poor people across the country are being deprived of their fundamental rights. The government is corporatising public sector undertakings. The education system has been demolished,” Raja told ETV Bharat.

Raja alleged that government policies were increasingly being framed to benefit a few “crony capitalists”, while ordinary citizens were facing mounting economic and social pressures.

He said India was witnessing an “alarming deterioration” in its social, political and economic conditions. Among the concerns highlighted by him were rising prices, unemployment, communal polarisation, weakening public education and healthcare systems, repeated examination paper leaks, and the continued non-implementation of the Women’s Reservation law.

The CPI leader also raised concerns over workers’ rights, alleged electoral manipulation, and increasing atrocities and displacement faced by Dalits and Adivasis.

Raja said the CPI would hold a two-day Central Committee meeting in New Delhi from Wednesday, during which the party would discuss and decide its future course of action.

However, for participants such as Ramjot, the larger political debate ultimately came down to everyday struggles—from a student's anxiety over a highly competitive examination to a farmer's uncertainty over the price of his produce.

For them, the call for “Badlaav Zaroori Hai” was not just a political slogan, but a demand for change in the issues that directly shape their everyday lives.

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