Congress accuses BJP of hijacking student stir with ‘outsiders’, demands probe

The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP of attempting to hijack the ongoing student protests over alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations by mobilising “outsiders” and using the issue for political gains. The party demanded a high-level inquiry into the entire sequence of events.

Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore said a resolution to the students’ issues could have been reached on August 10, but alleged that the BJP boycotted the Assembly proceedings and allowed the agitation to continue.

“For the first time in history, agitators reached the gates of the Legislative Assembly. This undermines the parliamentary system,” Kishore said, adding that the Congress had demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.

He also rejected BJP state president Aditya Sahu’s allegations against the government. Health Minister Dr Irfan Ansari alleged that protesters had been brought from neighbouring states.

“People were brought in from Chhattisgarh, Bengal and Bihar to stage the protest, even though the government had already accepted 95 per cent of the demands,” he claimed.

Agriculture Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey accused the BJP of vitiating the atmosphere at the behest of its central leadership in Delhi. She said the state government was committed to setting a precedent by ensuring an impartial investigation into the recruitment-related allegations.

Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh alleged that 152 paper leaks had occurred since 2015 without a single culprit being punished.

“Not a single culprit has been punished,” she said, alleging that the BJP was attempting to derail the investigation as it was rattled by the government’s actions.

Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh also hit out at the BJP for targeting Rahul Gandhi and the Hemant Soren government over the student agitation. He said the BJP should “look within” before questioning the Congress leader on youth-related issues.

“If the BJP is truly concerned about the welfare of students, it should first answer for the injustices faced by the youth at the Centre and in BJP-ruled states,” Kamlesh said.

Rejecting the allegation that police action against protesters took place at Rahul Gandhi’s behest, Kamlesh termed it “completely false, baseless and politically motivated”.

“Rahul Gandhi has never supported violence or repression in any democratic movement. BJP leaders should substantiate their allegations; merely telling lies does not make an accusation true,” he said.

Kamlesh said the Congress supported the students’ legitimate demands for a fair investigation and transparent recruitment process. He urged the BJP to press the Centre for a white paper on the recruitment examination system nationwide and strict action against paper leaks.

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