Ranchi: The 11-member delegation nominated by protesting students to initiate negotiations with the government includes a former BJP-era advocate general, Jharkhand’s Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar told ThePrint Friday, accusing the party of politicising the students’ agitation in the state.
“We are eager to talk to the students but not eager to heed to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s hidden agenda. I want to tell Babulal ji (BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the assembly), ‘why did you give your advocate general’s name? You could’ve given your own name. You should’ve come out openly’,” Kumar told ThePrint in an interview.
“This is a student’s protest and the issues are related to students. But if the BJP is trying to politicise this, then the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha knows how to respond to such attempts.” he said.
Kumar said this was the reason for the deadlock in the talks with the students. “But in a democracy, solutions emerge after deadlocks and we will find definite solutions after the talks…We uphold the students’ right to protest,” he said.
He alleged the idea for a CBI or ED probe into the alleged irregularities in recruitment exams in the state has been pushed among the students by the BJP.
The state government on Wednesday extended an olive branch to the protestors, with Ranchi SDM Kumar Rajat and ADM Dhananjay Kumar inviting a five-member delegation for talks. The students then notified the 11-member delegation, which included eight students, two mediapersons and a lawyer, Ajeet Kumar, who was the state’s advocate general from 2017 to early 2020, when the BJP was in power.
On Wednesday, Babulal Marandi also visited the protest site, along with a delegation of opposition MLAs.
“It is condemnable that student issues are politicised for political gain. The Jantar Mantar protest set an example in this country. When the student community took to the streets to voice their concerns, it felt as though the nation’s democracy was still alive. However, in the context of Jharkhand, it is deeply unfortunate that the students’ voices in the Ranchi protests have been stifled, and political parties have begun attempting to use the students as a front for their own agendas. I believe students need to become alert to this situation quickly; they must understand which parties are exploiting their struggle for political gain and should distance themselves from such forces,” he said.
“Citizens are witnessing how the Bharatiya Janata Party—a party known for seeking opportunities in disasters—is once again looking for such an opportunity here,” Kumar added, alleging that political parties were trying to not let the talks with students begin.
Kumar also referred to the protests in Delhi and questioned the genuineness of the BJP’s “empathy” towards the protests in Jharkhand.
“The BJP, which branded students as ‘anti-nationals’ and ‘Urban Naxals’—subjecting them to lathi-charges, water cannons, tear gas, spiked barricades, and pellet guns during protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar—is now projecting itself as a great champion of student interests. Where was this affection for students back then? Were the students protesting at Jantar Mantar ‘anti-nationals,’ while students in Jharkhand have suddenly become ‘patriots’? This double standard will not do.”
Hundreds of students from across Jharkhand have been protesting at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium against the alleged paper leaks and irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Service Commission (JSSC) recruitment exams.
Also Read: Anatomy of Jharkhand protests: 2 stages, 8 on hunger strike, a quest to be ‘non-political’
Govt committee for talks
In this interview, Kumar asserted that he believes “there is no alternative in a democracy apart from dialogue, and problems can only be solved with deliberation”.
“The government did not interfere in their democratic right to protest. There was no proceeding against them anywhere,” he pointed out. Once the students expressed their desire to talk, the government reached out to them, he said.
It has now formed a five-member committee to talk to the protesting students. This committee includes four Cabinet ministers, along with an Additional Chief Secretary-rank officer.
The four ministers are Kumar himself, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Deepika Pandey Singh, Minister for Labour, Employment, Training and Skill Development Sanjay Prasad Yadav, and Minister of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and Backward Class Welfare Chamra Linda.
While Yadav is an RJD Minister, Singh belongs to Congress party, while Kumar and Linda are JMM leaders.
Kumar told ThePrint that all issues are on the table, and there are no non-negotiables when it comes to the talks in a democratic setup.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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