Jharkhand Protests: BJP Calls for Congress to Withdraw Support, Rahul Gandhi Condemns Police Action
Political tensions rose in Jharkhand on Monday as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensified its attack on the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress government, while Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, condemned the police action against protesting students.
The protests, which have been ongoing for more than 17 days, relate to allegations of irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission. Students have been demanding a transparent investigation and action against those responsible.
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Mr. Gandhi said, “My message to Jharkhand students is very clear. We condemn any violence against peacefully protesting students. It does not matter where it is happening; we are against it and we do not support it. There is no confusion in our minds. As long as the protests are peaceful, we are against attacking them with violence.” In a post on X, he added that the use of force against students was wrong and that students have a right to peaceful protest. “Only dialogue can yield solutions,” he said, urging the state government to hear the students out and resolve their issues immediately.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly and senior BJP leader Babulal Marandi, along with BJP Jharkhand State president Aditya Sahu, led a protest outside Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence in Ranchi in support of the students. The BJP leaders were detained by the police during the demonstration.
Mr. Marandi challenged the Congress leadership to withdraw support to the Hemant Soren government if it was serious about the students’ demands. He alleged that the JMM-Congress government was “openly selling” Jharkhand Public Service Commission and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission jobs. He also said that the lathi-charge on the students would prove to be the “final nail in the coffin” for the coalition government.
Mr. Marandi expressed concern over the health of the protesting students, saying the government had remained a “spectator” despite several protesters falling ill. “It is an injustice done to the lakhs of poor, Dalit, tribal, rural, and hardworking youth of Jharkhand who dream of securing employment after years of struggle,” he said, describing the lathi-charge as an “act of cruelty and barbarism”.
Mr. Sahu termed the Jharkhand government as “oppressive and dictatorial”, saying that the manner in which BJP leaders were forcibly dragged and bundled into a bus was “not a good sign for democracy”. He accused the government of suppressing the students’ voices through force and said the Congress and Mr. Gandhi should either pressure Mr. Soren to accept the students’ demands or withdraw support to his government.
“The police lathi-charge on unarmed students marks a dark chapter for democracy. While the Congress party staged protests outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Delhi, it remained silent regarding the oppression committed by its own government in Jharkhand,” Mr. Sahu said.
The BJP has also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the alleged recruitment irregularities and sought Mr. Soren’s resignation. The ruling coalition has not yet issued an official response to these allegations. The situation remains tense as students continue their agitation, and political parties remain at loggerheads over the handling of the protests.
