Youth for Equality
Encyclopedia
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n organization involved with the 2006 anti-reservation protests
2006 Indian anti-reservation protests
The anti-caste-based-reservation protests 2006, that took place in parts of India, were in opposition to the decision of the Union Government of India, the multiparty coalition 'United Progressive Alliance' , to implement reservations for Other Backward Classes in central and private institutes of...
, which started to counter the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
's move to implement 27% reservation
Reservation in India
Reservation in India is a form of affirmative action designed to improve the well being of socially backward and underrepresented communities of citizens in India. There are laws in place, wherein a certain percentage of total available slots in Jobs and Education are set aside for people from...
for Other Backward Class
Other Backward Class
The Central Government of India classifies some of its citizens based on their social and economic condition as Scheduled Caste , Scheduled Tribe , and Other Backward Class . The OBC list presented by the commission is dynamic and will change from time to time depending on social, educational and...
es (OBCs) in institutes of higher education (twenty central universities, the IITs, IIMs and 9 premier medical colleges like AIIMS and JIPMER). Ultimately, the organisation opposes all reservation based on castes in India (ref : http://www.YouthForEquality.com
Organization
On 5 April 2006, Human Resources Development minister of India, Arjun SinghArjun Singh
Arjun Singh was an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress party. He was the Union Minister of Human Resource Development in the Manmohan Singh cabinet from 2004 to 2009....
, announced to the media that the government intended to introduce reservations for OBCs by 27% in central colleges, including IITs, IIMs, NITs, AIIMS, MAMC, UCMS, JIPMER, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University, also known as JNU, is located in New Delhi, the capital of India. It is mainly a research oriented postgraduate University with approximately 5,500 students and a faculty strength of around 550.-History:...
, Indraprastha University, Delhi University, and many others. Youth for Equality was conceived by students at the University College of Medical Sciences
University College of Medical Sciences
University College of Medical Sciences or U.C.M.S is medical college affiliated to the University of Delhi imparting medical education in Delhi, India...
(UCMS) expressing discontent over the proposal; other founding members include students from AIIMS, LHMC (Lady Hardinge Medical College), VMMC (Vardhman Mahavir Medical College
Vardhman Mahavir Medical College
- VMMC :Vardhman Mahavir Medical College or VMMC for short, is the fifth medical college, recently opened in New Delhi. It is attached with the famous Safdarjang Hospital for clinical teaching . The college is running under the umbrella of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.- About VMMC...
), MAMC (Maulana Azad Medical College
Maulana Azad Medical College
The Maulana Azad Medical College is a government medical college in Delhi affiliated to University of Delhi. It is named after Indian freedom fighter and first education minister of independent India Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. It is located at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi...
), Delhi University, Indraprastha University and JNU in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and later spread all across INDIA
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
As of June 2006, YFE's website [ www.youthforequality.com] states that it has over 16,000,00 members, and links to 12 regional chapter weblogs. The group's membership includes medical students and professionals, students at public and private colleges (including IITs, IIMs, NITs, AIIMS, MAMC, LHMC, UCMS, DU, IP university and JNU]), parents of students, Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs)
Resident Welfare Association
A Resident Welfare Association is a civic body that represents the interests of the citizens of a specific urban or suburban locality in Indian cities. Membership is voluntary, and the leadership is usually elected by fee-paying members...
(under the banner of United Residents Joint Action), and corporate bodies and now thousands of students across entire India.
Activities
Youth for Equality was a banner under which the students were protesting against caste based reservations. Though youth for equality was formed in context with reservation protest, it is actually a platform to fight against any kind of injustice to people. It is now an organisation that is working towards formation of an undevided society, and prosperous India. Though YFE consists of mainly Professional ( a reference to some technical courses in India) students and professionals, a significant part is also played by non professional students and workers. Its activities were very successful and its call for strike got nation-wide support crippling the medical infrastructure of India. In addition to complete roll-back of the proposed reservation, the striking protesters had demanded that an expert committee comprising members from non-political organizations to review the existing reservation policy and find out whether reservation for OBCs is required at all. Also, they demand that no penal action be taken against the protesters and publication of a white paper by the government, making its stand clear on reservation. The indefinite hunger strike organized by YFE had nearly 150 students joining the hunger strike that entered its ninth day as on 23 May 2006. Resident doctors from all over India joined the protests crippling the health infrastructure of a number of cities. This caused great human suffering, and lead the Supreme Court to criticize the doctors. The movement was handled with a heavy hand by police.The latest protest under the YFE banner was held on 25 th Apr 2008 in the Supreme court of India lawns , specifically protesting against reservation in post graduate courses by the Govt of India.
YFE is amongst the most recent students organisations in India. Generally the students movements are used by political parties, this is a unique non political students organisation in that no political party has yet been associated with the movement.
YFE has challenged the Decision of Parliament in Apex Court and obtained stay on reservations. It may be noted that some states in India (e.g.: Tamil Nadu) can have up to 70% seats reserved for different classes.
Youth for equality fielded a candidate in the 2007 BMC (BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation) elections Ward No. 167 (Sion-Koliwada). The candidate secured 30% of the votes secured by the winning candidate. Also, apart from the two major national political parties YFE defeated all regional parties in this ward.
In the parliament election of 2009, YFE put up a people's candidate from NEW DELHI constituency, who came fourth. This may be regarded as the foray into electoral politics by one of the most talked about youth organisations in India.