New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has urged Jharkhand Chief Minister and Congress ally Hemant Soren to personally meet representatives of students protesting against the irregularities in the state’s recruitment examinations in Ranchi. “The youth of India is its future. We owe them our solidarity and support at this moment of crisis,” Rahul Gandhi said.
In a letter dated 14 August, Rahul Gandhi asked Soren to intervene directly to resolve the protesters’ remaining concerns, after the government agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC examination and the bocklog of examinations from 2023 and 2025. The students, however, are still seeking the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL and other examinations and a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities.
“I am writing to suggest that you personally meet representatives of the protesting students. This will help reinforce the government’s commitment to resolve their remaining concerns,” Gandhi wrote.
“As you are aware, students in Jharkhand have been protesting against irregularities in the state recruitment examinations? Their protest has been peaceful, and their demands are legitimate,” he wrote.
He also launched another attack on the BJP and RSS. “It is also our belief that the Indian education system has been captured by the RSS and BJP and is transformed into a tool for the exploitation and oppression of students,” Rahul Gandhi wrote. “It is no longer the robust knowledge system that it used to be a decade ago.”
He also credited the Soren government for opening talks with students. “I appreciate that the Jharkhand government has begun a dialogue with them through a committee instituted by you. I believe that there is also agreement on several demands raised by the students, However, the protests continue, and some students remain on an indefinite hunger strike.” Rahul Gandhi said.
The Congress MP’s letter also reiterated his party’s broader position on students. “The Congress party believes that the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in the Constitution of India is one of the central pillars of our democracy, We have, therefore, offered our full support to students protesting paper leaks and irregularities in the education system over the last few months.” he said.
“The youth of India is its future. We owe them our solidarity and support at this moment of crisis. Please do your utmost to hear them out and take appropriate action towards the resolution of this issue,” he wrote.
The intervention also brings back into focus the Congress’ balancing act in Jharkhand. The party is backing the students while remaining part of the Soren-led government, with four Congress ministers in the state cabinet.
Congress Jharkhand in-charge K. Raju has maintained that the two positions are not contradictory.
“As an alliance partner, we have been doing it. We are standing with the students. All is fine within the alliance,” Raju told ThePrint.
Mahua Maji from the JMM also stated that both the JMM and Congress stand by the students and there is no contradiction within the alliance.
“Everything is okay in the alliance, no one is upset with anyone. Rahul-ji also said that violence shouldn’t happen and we believe the same thing. We allowed the protesters to protest for a long time, far more than at Jantar Mantar. Our government has heard their demands and 98 percent have been met,” she had told ThePrint earlier.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)