Jantar Mantar student stir, mass struggles could impact Assembly polls, says CPI(M)
The CPI(M) said on Sunday that the Jantar Mantar student movement and other mass struggles could have a “very significant impact” on the coming Assembly elections.
The party asserted that the protests had helped break an atmosphere of fear among the youth towards the Narendra Modi Government, the RSS and its leadership. CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, addressing a press conference after the party’s Politburo meeting, said the impact of the Jantar Mantar struggle could already be felt in the BJP’s defeat in Bihar’s Bankipur by-election and expressed hope that it would influence the upcoming State polls.
“At Jantar Mantar, our youth have demonstrated that they don’t fear Narendra Modi, Amit Shah or the RSS. There was a general atmosphere of fear, which the protest removed,” Baby said. Drawing a parallel with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha-led farmers’ agitation, he said people’s movements can influence electoral outcomes, particularly in areas where such struggles are strong.
“Earlier we had the Samyukt Kisan Morcha struggle; after that the Lok Sabha elections happened, and that impacted the particular belt where the agitation was powerful, and BJP lost many seats,” he said.
“People’s struggles — workers, peasants, youth, women, Adivasis, Dalits, minorities — if they come forward and agitate, it will impact on the minds of people in the big cities,” he said.
Baby said the CPI(M)’s approach in the coming elections would be to use whatever influence it has to defeat the BJP and its allies. Regarding seat-sharing and contesting seats, he said the party would discuss the issue with political parties in individual States and assess which candidate had the best chance of defeating the BJP in each constituency.
The Politburo, which met on September 4-5, congratulated workers, peasants and agricultural workers who participated in the August 10 nationwide protests called by trade unions and farmers and agricultural workers’ organisations.
It also praised students and youth who protested against examination paper leaks, the closure of Government schools, and a lack of facilities.
The party alleged that the RSS and its affiliates were trying to divert attention from these issues through sectarian campaigns, including anti-reservation protests. The CPI(M) also attacked Prime Minister Modi over his use of the term “dimagi Naxal” in his Independence Day address, calling it an attempt to stigmatise legitimate political dissent and silence critics.
On the economy, the party questioned the Government’s 7.8 per cent GDP growth figure for the first quarter of 2026-27, saying it concealed the economic difficulties ordinary people face. The Politburo pointed to agricultural growth of 3.6 per cent and contraction in mining, besides rising input costs, price rise, unemployment and malnutrition.
It also criticised Government incentives to private corporations and, referring to the recent National Company Law Tribunal order concerning Subash Chandra, demanded the repeal of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, alleging that it facilitated the diversion of public resources.
On Census 2027, the party raised concerns over the methodology for collecting caste data, the possible linking of census information with other Government databases and its implications for privacy, citizenship, electoral rolls and future delimitation.
Regarding international affairs, the Politburo expressed concern over escalating conflicts, particularly in West Asia. They urged the Government to use the BRICS summit in Delhi from September 11-13 to denounce US aggression and support Palestine, Iran and Cuba.
The meeting also reviewed the party’s rectification campaign mandated by its 24th Congress, focusing on “parliamentarism”, mass line and collective functioning. Baby said party leaders were expected to undertake a self-critical assessment of whether they were becoming overly focused on parliamentary positions or believing that people’s problems could be solved solely through parliamentary processes.
He said leaders should spend more time with people and party workers, listen to them and engage beyond formal committee meetings.
The CPI(M) Central Committee will meet in New Delhi from October 9-11 to discuss and strengthen the report on the rectification campaign, the party said.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) officially called off its 36-day protest at Jantar Mantar on July 25, 2026, after the central Government accepted its key demands, including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
