Ranchi, Aug 12 (IANS) Four Congress ministers in Jharkhand on Wednesday accused the BJP of attempting to exploit the students’ protests for political gains and conspiring to create unrest under the guise of the movement.
Students are protesting over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore, Health Minister Irfan Ansari, Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh, and Agriculture Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey, at a joint press conference, alleged that the BJP was trying to “bake political bread” over the students’ grievances and had mobilised people from outside Jharkhand to escalate the agitation.
Kishore said the state government had been ready to discuss issues related to recruitment examinations in the Assembly on August 10. However, instead of participating in a legislative debate, the opposition BJP chose to organise a march towards the Chief Minister’s residence, he claimed.
According to him, BJP workers from Bihar, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh were brought in to create disturbances. He added that despite the situation, the government and administration exercised restraint.
Kishore further said that protesters managing to reach the gates of the Assembly was a matter of serious concern for the parliamentary system and called for a high-level investigation into the entire sequence of events.
Health Minister Ansari said he had visited Ranchi’s Sadar Hospital late at night without security and met student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who was on a hunger strike.
Ansari claimed that the student leader had also acknowledged that certain elements were attempting to divert the movement from its original objectives, adding that the government had already accepted nearly 95 per cent of the students’ demands and remained open to dialogue on the remaining issues.
Rural Development Minister Singh said the government regretted any injuries sustained by students during the agitation and emphasised that it was committed to resolving the matter through discussions.
She alleged that 152 cases of paper leaks had surfaced in the state between 2015 and the present, yet not a single accused had been punished.
She said the BJP began attempting to divert the direction of the investigation after the government initiated action on the issue.
Agriculture Minister Tirkey demanded an apology from BJP state President Aditya Sahu for the allegations he had levelled against the government. She also rejected BJP accusations concerning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Tirkey said the police had acted in accordance with established protocols while handling the protests and had attempted to maintain law and order.
The ministers reiterated that the government was serious about ensuring a fair probe into matters related to JPSC and JSSC examinations and was committed to reforms aimed at improving the recruitment examination system.
They said issues concerning the future of students should not be turned into a matter of political confrontation and stressed that dialogue remained the preferred route to a solution.
–IANS
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