GUWAHATI: City students, some of them who hail from various parts of the state, are demanding a shift from electoral “doles” to substantive progress. Key priorities include implementing Clause 6 of the Assam Accord to protect Assamese identity, filling infrastructural gaps in education, and fostering a “job creator” economy. Along with these, they seek political transparency, a strong opposition, and guaranteed safety for people from the northeast nationwide. TOI’s Prajanma Das tours campuses in Guwahati to get a feel of the poll pulseI want the govt to actually work on Clause 6 of the 1985 Assam Accord and make sure there are constitutional, legislative, and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve, and promote the cultural, social, and linguistic identity and heritage of the ‘Assamese people’. Every govt has promised this, but I want whoever is elected to actually work on it.Manash Pratim DasPG studentGauhati University
There is need for better educational and medical facilities in the state. It’s true that many educational institutions have come up recently, but there are infrastructural gaps at these institutions. The govt has also transformed many colleges into universities, but there are not enough teachers there.Dhriti Deep DasPG studentGauhati UniversityEveryone promises jobs before elections. I do not want to get into whether they are fulfilled or not. But why just offer jobs? I want to see more job creators and not job seekers in our generation. We want to be self-sufficient. But there isn’t an environment that is conducive to such growthAnol Ankush BoraLLM studentGauhati UniversityThere is always room for development, but this govt has achieved quite a bit when it comes to the education sector. But this is the age of AI and we want Assam to become the next technological hub of India.Jeet PathakPG studentCotton UniversityI want to see more transparency in politics. But more than that I think there is need for a proper opposition party in the state. Without a strong opposition, a democracy cannot survive. We need a strong leader in the opposition as well to question the govt and keep them on track.Marjana KashyapUG studentCotton UniversityI am a ‘beti’ of the northeast and I might feel safe here, but we do not have the same security in the rest of the country. I would request the govt who comes to power to ensure we are safe and are not discriminated against in the other parts of the country.Bidisha DasUG studentCotton UniversityMultiple schemes have come up in the past few years, which have been helpful, but the govt needs to come up with more such initiatives that are targeted towards the youth, for their development.Jushi Prana DekaPG studentCotton UniversityNot just this govt but it has become a trend to give out doles before the election. How does that help people? I think it just makes them dependent and people lose the incentive to even search for employment. Isn’t that detrimental for the people and for the economy?Nishanta GhoshUG studentCotton UniversityInfrastructural development has been done across the city. I was born and brought up here, but I had never crossed over to north Guwahati. I am scared of using the ferry. But after the new bridge has been operational, I have visited the other bank of the Brahmaputra twice already. Life has also been made easier for us who travel by app-based autos or bikes.Saanjh AhmedUG studentHandique Girls’ College
