Ranchi, Aug 12: Four Congress ministers in Jharkhand on Wednesday accused the BJP of exploiting the ongoing JPSC-JSSC student agitation for political gains and alleged that the opposition party was attempting to create unrest under the cover of students’ grievances.
Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore, Health Minister Irfan Ansari, Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh and Agriculture Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey made the allegations at a joint press conference in Ranchi.
Kishore alleged that the BJP was trying to “bake political bread” over the students’ grievances and claimed that party workers from Bihar, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh had been brought to Jharkhand to escalate the agitation.
“The BJP is trying to bake political bread over the students’ grievances,” Kishore said.
He claimed the state government was prepared to discuss issues concerning recruitment examinations in the Assembly on August 10, but alleged that the BJP chose to organise a march towards the Chief Minister’s residence instead of participating in a legislative debate.
Kishore said protesters reaching the Assembly gates was “a matter of serious concern for the parliamentary system” and called for a “high-level investigation” into the entire sequence of events.
“The government and administration exercised restraint,” he said.
Health Minister Ansari said he had visited Ranchi Sadar Hospital late at night without security and met student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who was on hunger strike.
Ansari claimed Mahto had acknowledged that “certain elements were attempting to divert the movement from its original objectives”.
He said the state government had already accepted nearly 95 per cent of the students’ demands and remained willing to hold talks on the remaining issues.
“The government had already accepted nearly 95 per cent of the students’ demands,” Ansari said, adding that the government remained open to dialogue on the “remaining issues”.
Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh expressed regret over injuries sustained by students during the agitation and reiterated the government’s commitment to resolving the dispute through discussions.
“The government regretted any injuries sustained by students during the agitation,” she said.
Singh also claimed that 152 cases of paper leaks had surfaced in Jharkhand since 2015, but alleged that “not a single accused had been punished”.
She accused the BJP of attempting to “divert the direction of the investigation” after the government initiated action over the issue.
Agriculture Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey demanded an apology from BJP state president Aditya Sahu over allegations levelled against the state government.
She also rejected BJP allegations concerning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and defended the police action during the protests, saying the force had acted “in accordance with established protocols” while attempting to maintain law and order.
The ministers reiterated that the government was serious about ensuring a fair investigation into alleged irregularities involving JPSC and JSSC examinations and was committed to reforms aimed at strengthening the recruitment examination system.
They maintained that issues concerning the future of students should not be converted into a “matter of political confrontation” and stressed that dialogue remained the preferred route to resolving the dispute.
The Congress ministers’ allegations came amid the continuing agitation by JPSC-JSSC aspirants over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, with the opposition BJP demanding greater accountability and a thorough investigation into the matter.
