Ranchi, July 23 : The Jharkhand Congress on Thursday staged a protest outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state headquarters in Ranchi, demanding justice for students and reiterating Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s demands over the NEET examination controversy.
Thousands of Congress workers, led by Ranchi Metropolitan Congress Committee President Kumar Raja and Ranchi District Rural Congress Committee President Somnath Munda, marched from Harmu Ground to the BJP office. The protesters demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, an impartial inquiry into the alleged use of force against protesting students, and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also called for a detailed discussion on the issue in Parliament.
During the demonstration, Congress leaders alleged that BJP supporters attempted to disrupt the protest by pelting stones and throwing eggs and tomatoes at the demonstrators. Despite the alleged provocation, the party claimed its workers maintained peace and continued the protest without resorting to violence.
Addressing the gathering, Congress leaders accused the Central government of failing to address students’ concerns over examination-related issues. They alleged that students and youth protesting against irregularities in competitive examinations were subjected to unnecessary police action and demanded accountability from the Union government.
State Congress spokesperson Sonal Shanti alleged that the attack on Congress workers was pre-planned and accused the BJP of attempting to derail a peaceful democratic protest. He further claimed that instead of addressing the grievances of students, the Centre had chosen to suppress their voices and renewed the party’s demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, rejected the allegations made by the Congress and accused the opposition party of provoking violence during the protest. The BJP maintained that the Congress was attempting to politicise the issue for political gains.
The protest comes amid continuing political confrontation over the NEET examination issue, with opposition parties demanding greater transparency in the examination process and accountability from the Centre over alleged irregularities.
