3 weeks ago
Rahul Gandhi backs Jharkhand students, says every government must listen
Students in a state called Jharkhand are very upset.
They say the exams the government uses to give out jobs were not fair.
So they are sitting at a big stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand's main city, asking for the exams to be cancelled.
They also want a neutral team, like the police from outside the state or retired judges, to investigate what went wrong.
A man named Devendra Nath Mahto has stopped eating food for five days to show how serious this is, and other students have joined him.
India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi says the students are right to be angry.
He says the education system in India has collapsed, costs too much, and treats students badly.
His party, the Congress, says it supports students everywhere, even though the party is part of the very government these students are protesting against.
Jharkhand's Chief Minister, Hemant Soren, says investigators are already working and his doors are always open to students.
Some BJP politicians say the Congress only speaks up for students when it suits them.
On August 6, Rahul Gandhi backed Jharkhand's student protest for the first time during an Instagram 'Ask Me Anything' session, saying every government must listen to students.
Gandhi said India's education system has 'collapsed' and is 'unaffordable and oppressive,' and that he has made the same point in Dehradun, Kota and Allahabad.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the party stands with students 'whether it is Jharkhand, Punjab, Delhi or anywhere else' and is writing to the government.
Protesters at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi demand cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination and an independent probe by the CBI or retired High Court judges from outside the state.
Six demonstrators, including Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha leader Devendra Nath Mahto, are on hunger strike, while BJP MLA Neera Yadav accused Congress of a double standard.
- Who
- Rahul Gandhi (Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha), Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, student protesters, hunger-striking leader Devendra Nath Mahto, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and BJP MLA Neera Yadav.
- What
- Political leaders reacted to the ongoing Jharkhand student protest demanding cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination and an independent probe into alleged recruitment irregularities.
- Where
- Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand; Gandhi spoke during an Instagram 'Ask Me Anything' session.
- When
- The protest began on July 25; Rahul Gandhi's remarks came on Thursday, August 6, the protest's 13th day.
- Why
- Protesters allege irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations; Gandhi argues India's education system has 'collapsed' and is 'unaffordable and oppressive.'
Protesters and Congress supporters
BJP critics and the Jharkhand government
Congress's stance on student protests
Protesters and Congress supporters
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge says the party stands with students 'whether it is Jharkhand, Punjab, Delhi or anywhere else,' and Rahul Gandhi says every government must listen to students.
BJP critics and the Jharkhand government
BJP MLA Neera Yadav accuses Congress of inconsistency: 'The Congress puts up one mask when the stir is in Delhi and a different one for Jharkhand.'
Resolution of the recruitment allegations
Protesters and Congress supporters
Protesters demand cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination and an independent investigation by the CBI or retired High Court judges from outside the state.
BJP critics and the Jharkhand government
Chief Minister Hemant Soren says probe agencies are working round the clock and those responsible are being jailed, and that his doors are open for talks to reach a permanent solution.
Key facts
- Protest start date
- July 25, under the banner of the JPSC JSSC Reforms Manch
- Protest location
- Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, Ranchi, Jharkhand
- Protest day on August 6
- 13th day of the agitation
- Key demands
- Cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination; independent probe by CBI or a panel of retired High Court judges from outside the state
- Hunger strike
- Six demonstrators on hunger strike, including Devendra Nath Mahto (fasting five days, with dropping blood sugar and blood pressure) and two women
- Congress role
- Congress is part of the JMM-led ruling coalition in Jharkhand; AICC in-charge K Raju handed a memorandum to Chief Minister Hemant Soren
- Chief Minister's response
- Hemant Soren said probe agencies are working round the clock, the guilty are being jailed, doors remain open and a concrete solution will be announced soon
- Gandhi's remark
- 'Our education system has collapsed; it is unaffordable and oppressive.'
Quotes
Mallikarjun Kharge
Congress president
“"Student protests in the country are happening against the education system. I have clearly said in Dehradun and Kota, and I am going to say in Allahabad as well that our education system has collapsed. It is expensive and oppressive. Every government must listen to students and take action to change the education system, whether it is a Congress government, the central government, or the Jharkhand government."”
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“Our objective is not just to investigate but to provide a permanent solution to students' concerns. The state government's doors remain open for them to present their demands and suggestions. I assure that every point will be examined carefully and a concrete solution announced soon.”
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