Aspirants of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination are commemorating Constitution Day by initiating their 'Maha Satyagraha' protest. The movement is a part of the larger protest that started on November 19 with a candlelight march in Old Rajinder Nagar, which continued till November 25 in various parts of Delhi, like Wazirabad, Mukherjee Nagar and Gandhi Vihar. Nitin Kumar, an aspirant, said, "The Maha Satyagraha movement will continue till an extra attempt is announced. This is our way of building pressure on the government."
Where are the aspirants staging their protest?
The 'Maha Satyagraha' was supposed to be held at Old Rajinder Nagar, the UPSC hub, however, on the grounds of the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi election, the permission was revoked by Delhi Police. Later, the aspirants took permission to stage their protest at Jantar Mantar instead. The permission request was centred mainly around Constitution Day this time. The subject of the permission letter read: "Request for granting permission for celebrate constitution day at Jantar-Mantar and for demanding compensatory attempt." (sic)
Aspirants will demonstrate at Jantar Mantar today, November 26, from 11 am — 4 pm. "The movement was gaining popularity. I believe that is why they rolled back our permission," stated a concerned aspirant, adding, "They imposed Section 144 at the protest site. Delhi police are under the Home Ministry, we can join the dots from there. Furthermore, we don't want to mess with them."
Why Constitution Day?
As per the aspirants, the chosen date, November 26, was intentional. "No better day than Constitution Day to raise your voice democratically," says Amulya Animesh, another aspirant who has been in charge of the legal front of the UPSC extra attempt movement. Constitution Day, or National Law Day, commemorates the adoption of the Indian Constitution in the year 1949. The Constitution also forms a prominent part of the syllabus of the civil servant examination.
Why is it called 'Maha Satyagraha'?
The name 'Maha Satyagraha' has its most obvious reference to the Gandhian Satyagraha movement. The aspirants who consider themselves Gandhian in their principle intend to make this movement about the truth and all-inclusive. "The protest is now all-inclusive; we have included all the other demands of UPSC aspirants. We intend to protest together now," informed Amulya.
Why are the UPSC aspirants protesting?
The UPSC aspirants who appeared for their final attempt in the year 2020, 2021 and 2022 are demanding an extra attempt and relaxation of age. The aspirants are demanding this as a "basic relief" due to the circumstances they encountered throughout the pandemic. Amulya previously told EdexLive that around 40,000 UPSC candidates were directly affected by the pandemic. Among the protesting candidates are COVID-19 patients, frontline workers, candidates who were impacted by the digital divide and others.
What are the demands of the aspirants?
The demands of the candidates:
