PUNE: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday blamed the government and what he described as a failing competitive-exam system for the death of MPSC aspirant Prathamesh Deshmukh, calling the suicide a “murder done by the system” and demanding steps to ensure such incidents do not recur.Dipke, who visited Deshmukh’s family in Khasapuri village in Dharashiv, also linked the debate over reservation to the lack of quality education and employment opportunities, alleging that young people were losing faith in the government.
Dipke links death to MPSC system, unemployment
Deshmukh, 28, who was preparing for Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examinations, allegedly died by suicide in Pune. A note recovered from him mentioned a debt of around Rs 2.5 lakh.A native of Paranda in Dharashiv, Deshmukh had been staying in a rented accommodation in Navi Peth while preparing for competitive examinations, news agency PTI reported.Speaking to reporters after meeting his family, Dipke said Deshmukh had gone to Pune hoping to secure a government job and improve his family’s financial condition.“He borrowed money from friends to meet his expenses. But due to paper leaks and delayed results, pressure mounted on students. This (Deshmukh’s suicide) is system’s fault and it is a murder done by the system,” he alleged.Dipke said Deshmukh’s death reflected the pressure faced by unemployed youth, particularly those from rural areas, because of financial hardship and what he called failures in the examination system.“Prathamesh stayed in Pune and used to have a meal only once a day due to his financial condition. According to his mother, Prathamesh used to say that he would come home in a government car, but unfortunately he was brought here in an ambulance yesterday. His father has already passed away,” Dipke said.
‘How will rural youth survive in Pune?’
Dipke said aspirants coming to Pune from villages often struggle to pay for accommodation, food, coaching and library facilities while preparing for competitive examinations.“He (Deshmukh) had borrowed Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh from his friends…A youth had to end his life for this much amount. This is the condition of our youth in rural areas because there is no employment,” he said.“Prathamesh was preparing for MPSC exams and we all know what is happening in the MPSC. Exams are not conducted properly, the results are improper and paper leaks also take place. How will the youth from rural areas survive in a city like Pune? How will they pay the money required for library, food, rent and coaching? This is a question that haunts the youth from rural areas,” he said.He also spoke about the difficulty students face in returning home after spending years preparing for government examinations, PTI reported.”Prathamesh left the village with a dream to become an officer, then how can he return without cracking the exams? For this, he did everything that he could. He stayed there (in Pune) for four years by curtailing his expenses. There are thousands of youths like him,” he said.
Dipke links reservation demand to lack of opportunities
Turning to the reservation issue, Dipke argued that stronger public education and employment opportunities would reduce the demand for quotas.“The government cannot give good facilities. If they get good facilities, good schools and education and opportunities, why would anyone ask for reservation? People are asking for reservation because the government has completely failed in giving quality education and providing jobs. People have lost faith in the government so they are seeking constitutional remedies,” he said.
CJP to join MPSC aspirants’ agitation
Dipke said the CJP had earlier extended support to MPSC aspirants but would now participate directly in their agitation.“The government should be alert and incidents like (suicide by) Prathamesh should not recur as it cannot be tolerated any more. Till now, we extended our support to the MPSC aspirants who were agitating. But what I have seen here today, we cannot let such cases happen any further. Therefore we have decided to get into this agitation,” he said.Dipke’s remarks came after his visit to Khasapuri, where he met Deshmukh’s grieving family members.(With agency inputs)
