Rahul Gandhi backs protesting students, BJP intensifies attack on Jharkhand govt

The BJP on Monday stepped up its attack on the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress government in Jharkhand even as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi condemned the police action against protesting students.

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Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly and senior BJP leader Babulal Marandi dared the Congress leadership to withdraw support to the Hemant Soren government if it was serious about the students’ demands.

“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,” he added.

In a post on X, he said the use of force against students protesting in Jharkhand was wrong and that students had a right to peaceful protest.

“Only dialogue can yield solutions,” Mr. Gandhi said, urging the State government to hear the students out and resolve their issues immediately.

Mr. Marandi and BJP Jharkhand State president Aditya Sahu led a protest outside Mr. Soren’s residence in Ranchi in support of the students. The BJP demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and sought Mr. Soren’s resignation. The leaders were detained by the police.

Mr. Marandi said the lathi-charge on the students would prove to be the “final nail in the coffin” for the JMM-Congress government. He alleged that the JMM-Congress government was “openly selling” Jharkhand Public Service Commission and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission jobs.