AMID stormy weather and torrential rain, the 21st Tripura State Conference of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) was successfully held on May 30-31, 2025 in Kailashahar town, Unakoti district. Despite facing significant logistical challenges due to the weather, the Reception Committee managed to hold the conference as planned. The adverse conditions could not dampen the revolutionary zeal of the SFI leaders and delegates, who arrived in large numbers and adhered to the full conference schedule with determination.

Defying the incessant rain, the conference commenced with the hoisting of the flag and floral tributes paid at the martyrs’ column, in the presence of delegates and SFI leaders. This was followed by the inaugural session at the Kailashahar Old Town Hall – an open session attended by Manik Sarkar, former chief minister of Tripura and an early SFI leader; Tapan Chakraborty, chairman of the Reception Committee and former SFI leader; SFI general secretary Mayukh Biswas; along with local leaders and workers from the Left and democratic movements in the Kailashahar Sub-Division.

Kailashahar town was charged with enthusiasm around the conference. The town and the conference venue were festooned with flags and banners, creating a vibrant and politically energised atmosphere. The conference venue was named after late Comrade Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) leader who began his political life in the student movement, while the dais was named in memory of two late state student leaders, Samir Chakraborty and Samar Adhya.

Following the formation of the presidium, headed by State SFI President Suleman Ali, Manik Sarkar delivered the inaugural address. He reflected on recent national and state developments, highlighting that despite the BJP being weakened in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections – falling short of an absolute majority – it has not retreated from its communal Hindutva and pro-corporate agenda. Instead, he noted, the BJP party has intensified its divisive strategies to distract the public from the real, burning issues facing the masses: access to education, healthcare, employment, and housing. These essential services, he said, have been commodified and are now accessible only to those who can afford them.

Manik Sarkar also warned of the BJP’s use of constitutional institutions such as the ED, CBI, Income Tax Department, and even the Election Commission of India (ECI) to suppress dissent and erode democratic rights, thereby consolidating authoritarian rule. He urged students to stay committed to their academic pursuits while also understanding the national and global developments, encouraging them to examine the root causes of the ongoing crises.

A total of 323 delegates, including 54 girl students, participated in the conference. SFI general secretary Mayukh Biswas, former SFI leader and chairman of the Reception Committee Tapan Chakraborty, and Jitendra Chaudhury, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M) and state secretary, along with several other leaders and activists took part in the inaugural session.

State Secretary Sandipan Deb presented the draft report, which provided a detailed account of the deteriorating education system in Tripura as well as the current organisational state of the SFI. A total of 30 delegates participated in the discussion on the report. They highlighted the acute shortage of teachers across all levels of education – from primary schools to colleges. The severe shortfall has persisted since the retrenchment of 10,323 teachers due to a court order, with no adequate replacement measures taken to date. Currently, 311 primary schools in the state are operating with only a single teacher.

In 2014, Tripura was awarded for having the highest literacy rate in the country at 95.16 per cent. However, the state's literacy ranking has since slipped below that of five other states. After seven years of BJP rule, more than 100 government schools have either been shut down or merged due to dwindling student numbers. Additionally, 100 schools have been converted into Vidyajyoti English Medium Schools, many of which lack the basic infrastructure and qualified teaching staff – including English teachers.

As a result, families with economic means are increasingly turning to private tutors, while underprivileged students are left behind. This growing divide has created deep inequality in access to quality education, preventing the holistic development of talent across socioeconomic groups, the delegates noted.

The delegates also proposed several organisational measures to strengthen the SFI and expand its reach.

Congratulating the delegates and the reception committee, Jitendra Chaudhury, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), stated that it is time to advance a determined movement for "education for all and employment for every youth," setting aside all hesitations. Only such a movement, he said, can bring about a qualitative shift in the political landscape. He criticised the RSS-led Modi government for attempting to dazzle the public with grand illusions like ‘Viksit Bharat,’ while in reality, India is lagging behind on every major economic indicator and public suffering continues to deepen.

Mayukh Biswas, in his address, said that under the Modi regime, education is under serious threat. He condemned efforts to inject religious polarisation into education and to distort the curriculum by promoting myths as history and superstition as science. He also criticised the suppression of student democracy through the denial of students’ union elections in many colleges and universities. Biswas urged SFI members to counter the BJP’s propaganda by using facts, reason, and lived reality to win over and organise the student community.

In his concluding remarks, outgoing Secretary Sandipan Deb thanked the delegates for their constructive contributions and expressed hope that the newly elected state committee would take their suggestions seriously in shaping future actions.

In the final session, a new 77-member state committee and a 20-member state secretariat were unanimously elected. At its first meeting, the state secretariat elected Pritam Shil as president and Srijan Deb as secretary.