The Congress on Thursday said it stands with youngsters agitating in Ranchi against alleged irregularities in recruitment exams, with senior party leader Rahul Gandhi asserting that every government must listen to what students are saying and take action to change the education system.
The Congress, which is part of the JMM-led government in Jharkhand, said it will continue to fight to resolve students' problems and help them get justice.
During an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on social media platform Instagram, Gandhi was told to support the student protest in Jharkhand.
In reply, Gandhi said, “The student protests happening in the country are against the education system. I have stated it clearly in Kota and Dehradun, and will say it in Allahabad: our education system has collapsed; it is unaffordable and oppressive.”
“Every government, be it the Central government, Jharkhand government or a Congress government, should listen to what students are saying and take action to change the education system,” said Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the party would stand with the cause of students, regardless of whether it is an ally or a rival in power, and would write to the state government.
“Rahul Gandhi and we are with the students, be it in Jharkhand, Punjab, Delhi or anywhere else. We will ask whether we have made a mistake and why it has happened. We are writing to the government,” he said.
Earlier in the day, AICC in-charge of Jharkhand, K Raju, said he and state party leaders met Chief Minister Hemant Soren and handed over a memorandum to him on the students' demands.
"We thanked the chief minister for his empathetic positive action for constituting a ministerial committee to consult with protesting students and recommend concrete solutions," Raju said on X.
He reiterated that Jharkhand Congress stands in support of the agitating students.
The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) leaders in the state express total solidarity with students protesting against irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) recruitments, Raju said in the post, adding, "Justice for our students remains our top priority!"
The protest against the alleged irregularities in recruitment exams in Jharkhand entered its 13th day on Thursday with six demonstrators on a hunger strike. The agitating students and job aspirants formed an 11-member delegation to hold talks with the government to resolve the impasse.
The protest, which began on July 25 under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi, emerged as one of the biggest student-led movements in the state in recent years.
The decision to hold talks with the government was taken a day after Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the doors of his government were open to agitators.
The demonstrators have been demanding cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination and an independent probe into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment test either by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or by a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state.
In an X post, Soren had said the concerns raised by students were being treated with utmost seriousness by his government.
He asserted that probe agencies were working round the clock and those responsible for the alleged irregularities were being sent to jail.
"Our objective is not just to investigate but to provide a permanent solution to students' concerns," Soren said, adding that the state government's doors remained open for them to present their demands and suggestions. He assured that every point would be examined carefully and a concrete solution would be announced soon.
The Congress, an ally in the Hemant Soren government, has extended support to the agitating students, and Raju had also visited the protest site.
(With agency inputs)
