Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
The police lathi-charge on JPSC aspirants during their protest near the Legislative Assembly in Ranchi has escalated into a major political controversy. On Wednesday, BJP MPs led by Jharkhand BJP Chief and Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu staged a fierce protest inside the Parliament complex. Raising slogans against Chief Minister Hemant Soren, they targeted Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party over their silence regarding the police high-handedness.
Reacting to BJP allegations, four ministers in Soren Cabinet from Congress quota rejected allegations levelled by BJP state president Aditya Sahu against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the ongoing student protests in the state, saying the government was committed to resolving the issue through dialogue.
Speaking at a joint press conference at the Jharkhand Congress headquarters in Ranchi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radha Krishna Kishore, Minister Deepika Pandey Singh, Health Minister Irfan Ansari and Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey defended the government’s handling of the JPSC-JSSC controversy.
Kishore said the Assembly was in session and the government was prepared to discuss the students’ concerns, but BJP legislators, led by Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, chose to stage a protest outside Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence from early morning.
He said the government had opposed violence and exercised restraint during the protests. Kishore also alleged that some “outsiders” had entered the agitation and indulged in violence.
Deepika Pandey Singh, who is part of the government team holding talks with the protesting students, said the government was willing to consider their demands, including an investigation into alleged examination irregularities. However, she questioned the effectiveness of CBI probes, claiming that several examination-related cases referred to the agency since 2015 had seen little progress.
Health Minister Irfan Ansari said Rahul Gandhi had emerged as a voice for students across the country and had advocated resolving the Jharkhand issue through dialogue. He added that arrangements had been made for free treatment of students who fell ill during the agitation.
Shilpi Neha Tirkey accused the BJP of attempting to politicise and escalate the student movement. She said the government and Rahul Gandhi were seeking a concrete solution through dialogue and maintained that the students’ concerns should not be used for political confrontation.
Meanwhile, Aditya Sahu emphasized their demand for a CBI probe into exam irregularities. He criticized senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, for staying silent and called out the party’s alleged double standards.
“Rahul Gandhi is quick to protest in Delhi, but why is he silent on Jharkhand?” Sahu questioned. He challenged Gandhi to visit Ranchi, meet the aspirants, and question the Chief Minister about the fate of students on a hunger strike for the last 20 days.
Warning the local administration, Sahu accused the Ranchi DC and SP of acting as government agents by cutting off electricity at the protest site at night to intimidate students. He cautioned that if any harm comes to the aspirants, the BJP, along with the public, will call for an indefinite ‘Jharkhand Bandh’.
Caption: Delhi Protest: BJP MPs from Jharkhand including party state president Aditya Sahu and others protesting against Jharkhand government police lathicharge on students.
Congress press conference: Congress quota ministers in Hemant Soren Cabinet addressing press conference targeting BJP allegations.
