BJP government fears an educated society and questioning youth: Kanhaiya Kumar

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Centering on pressing issues concerning the youth—such as climate change, employment, culture, education, technology, and the future of Assam—a national-level intellectual convention titled “Youth Conclave 2026 — Yuva Sanglap” was organised today by the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) in Guwahati.

Inaugurating the conclave, APCC President Gaurav Gogoi stated that in a healthy democratic society, youth cannot stay away from politics because it is governance and politics that determine the education budget, university tuition fees, student scholarships, environmental conservation, and the protection of indigenous culture. Criticising the ruling dispensation’s politics of suppression and polarisation, he remarked that society moves forward not through fear of the police or lathis, but through evidence- and logic-based dialogue that respects differing viewpoints.

In the session centred on the burning issue “Education to Employment: Degree Unlock, Jobs Lock”, AICC NSUI In-charge and former JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar addressed the gathering as the keynote speaker, launching a sharp critique of the country’s education and employment policies. Beginning his address with chants of “Jai Aai Asom” and “Jai Zubeen Da”, he remarked that just as Zubeen Garg’s songs and national spirit unite the people of Assam, the collective unity of the youth is vital to safeguarding the nation’s future.

Highlighting alarming figures regarding unemployment, Kanhaiya Kumar lamented, “India is the youngest country in the world today, with every fifth youth globally being an Indian. Yet, due to flawed government policies, this young India is witnessing the highest unemployment rates in post-independence history.” Exposing the contrast between official slogans and ground realities, he said, “On one hand, the government coins slogans like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, but in reality, our daughters and women are unsafe walking outside after dark. The government loudly touts ‘Skill India’, but the stark reality is ‘Kill India’, with two young people driven to suicide every hour across the country due to unemployment and a bleak future.”

In the session of the conclave centred on the critical theme “Climate Change vs Development”, internationally acclaimed environmental activist and author Rituraj Phukan delivered the keynote address. Warning that the world is on the verge of breaching the critical threshold of 1.5°C global warming, Phukan asserted that the current youth generation is the final generation witnessing the devastation of climate change with the agency to act against it.

Citing the catastrophic floods triggered by glacial lake collapses near the Nepal-Tibet border, he cautioned that rapidly expanding glacial lakes in Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh have turned into “ticking time bombs”, posing severe risks of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) that could inundate the Brahmaputra Valley.

In the session titled “Culture of Assam: Our Culture, Our Identity”, renowned musician Manas Robin delivered a historical and insightful keynote address. Noting that Assam remained politically distinct from mainstream Indian rule until the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826, Robin highlighted that it was Mahapurush Srimanta Sankaradeva who first spiritually and culturally integrated Assam with greater India.

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