“Development in rural area has come to a standstill. Bureaucracy is dominating. Advisers are telling the CM not to hold elections. But if elections happen, even ABVP candidates will get a chance. NSUI will not win every seat. Let the best candidate win. Victory or defeat is not important, the process of elections is,” Pilot said.
The protest took place at the city’s Shaheed Smarak on MI Road and witnessed the participation of several senior Congress leaders and NSUI national president Varun Chaudhary.
Pilot said that young people are struggling with problems like lack of jobs, growing privatisation of education and absence of opportunities.
He urged students to bring about a “revolution of awareness” and demanded accountability from those in power.
Speaking to reporters after the protest, Pilot said, “Students across the state are demanding elections. There is no valid reason to stop them.โ
The government’s decision to halt the elections is arbitrary and undemocratic. Student politics is the first step into politics, he added.
Pilot alleged that works started by the former Congress government have been stalled and no new initiatives are visible.
“This government has lost credibility. There is barely any impact left. They are not conducting panchayat, municipal and student union elections. There is no reason for this,” he said.
Highlighting the importance of dignity in political discourse, Pilot said that strength must be shown with restraint.
“In politics, conduct and language matter. Young people get many opportunities to prove themselves but they must be disciplined in their conduct and speech,” he said.
During the demonstration, tributes were also paid to former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik who passed away this morning.
“He fought for farmers and we have paid our collective respects,” Pilot said.