J'khand ministers slam BJP for 'hijacking' student stir for politics

Jharkhand Ministers accused the BJP of 'hijacking' the ongoing students' protest in Ranchi to create political instability. They claimed the BJP failed to mobilize students and was spreading lies against the state government and Rahul Gandhi.

Jharkhand Ministers Irfan Ansari and Dipika Pandey Singh, Shilpi Neha Tirkey, on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the opposition of "hijacking" the ongoing students' protest in Ranchi to create political instability in the state.

Ministers' Accusations Against BJP

Hitting out at the party, Jharkhand Minister Irfan Ansari claimed that the BJP has never been a well-wisher of the youth and should learn from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's approach to governance and accountability. "BJP believes in creating instability. They were never well-wishers of the youth. Despite our govt here, Rahul Gandhi has condemned the incident. BJP should learn from Rahul Gandhi. In Bihar, an AK-47 was used against the youth. We all saw what happened in Jantar Mantar," Ansari told reporters.

State Minister Dipika Pandey Singh claimed that the BJP failed in its "assigned task" to create massive unrest in Jharkhand, similar to situations witnessed in other regions, adding that the youth have seen through the opposition's tactics. "The BJP had been given a task: to create an atmosphere in Jharkhand, akin to the situation in Nepal or other states, where they could mobilise students to stage protests across the state. They failed; they could not successfully execute the task assigned to them," Singh told reporters.

Commenting on the lack of response to the opposition's shutdown call, she added, "The BJP called for a shutdown yesterday; why didn't the students join in? Because the students have understood the situation, and a solution will soon be found through dialogue."

Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey also alleged that the BJP was attempting to cloud the truth by levelling baseless allegations against the state government and senior Congress leadership. "We felt there was a need to come forward to ensure that the truth is not clouded amidst all things which have recently happened. Yesterday, we saw how Aditya Sahu ji levelled baseless allegations and also dragged Rahul ji into it. It was below-the-belt politics. Jharkhand BJP is so scared that they use lies or hijack a movement. This is the reason we had to lay out the truth," Tirkey said.

The Minister further claimed that the state government had prior intelligence regarding the nature of the protest, suggesting it was being orchestrated to mirror past agitations in the national capital. "Ten days ago, our govt received an input that this movement was going to be given the shape of the protest that happened at Jantar Mantar. When the BJP could not succeed, some people indulged in rowdiness. Some action was taken under law and order protocols by the government. If a few students have been hurt, we will certainly apologise," she added.

Tirkey accused the BJP of opportunistic politics, stating, "BJP is trying to get the most out of this protest. They are hijacking the students' protest to do politics."

Protest Background and Demands

Earlier, on August 10, police used tear gas shells and water cannons and resorted to lathi charge during the 'Vidhan Sabha Gherao' march.

The ongoing agitation has largely centred on demands raised by aspirants of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

Protesters have been demanding cancellation of the JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities and reforms in the recruitment process.

Government's Official Response

On August 9, Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar accepted the resignations of three members of the Jharkhand Public Service (JPSC) Commission, in light of the recommendation made by the State Government, the Lok Bhavan said in a statement on Sunday

The resignations of Ajita Bhattacharya, Anima Hansda, and Jamal Ahmed have been accepted.

On that day, the representatives of the Jharkhand government held a fresh round of talks in Ranchi with representatives of various student organisations protesting alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations.

Following this, the Jharkhand government announced a multi-pronged action plan to address alleged recruitment irregularities. The measures include a CID probe into alleged irregularities in the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and 2023-25 backlog recruitments, an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into suspected financial irregularities, setting up of a fast-track court and formation of an expert committee for recruitment reforms. (ANI)

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