Jharkhand govt only focused on forming committees: Babulal Marandi on students' protest

Jharkhand Assembly Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi on Monday criticised the state government's handling of the ongoing student agitation over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, saying he was not convinced by the steps taken so far to address the protesters' concerns.

Marandi alleged that the government was relying too heavily on inquiry committees and repeated rounds of discussions instead of taking concrete action on the issues raised by students.

His remarks came as the protest entered its 24th consecutive day and the fourth round of talks between government representatives and the students was underway in Ranchi. The outcome of Monday's discussions is expected to determine the next course of the agitation.

Speaking to IANS, Marandi said dialogue was necessary but argued that the government's approach had so far failed to build confidence among the protesters.

“So far, I don't find it very convincing, but they should hold talks because they have not resolved the issue yet,” he said.

Marandi alleged that whenever students stepped up their protest or announced plans to march towards the Assembly or the Chief Minister's residence, the government responded by announcing an inquiry or forming another committee.

He claimed that such measures had created the impression that the administration was trying to manage the agitation rather than address the underlying problems in the recruitment examination system.

The Opposition leader also reacted to the letter written by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Gandhi had urged Soren to personally meet representatives of the protesting students and work towards resolving their concerns.

Marandi dismissed the intervention, alleging that the letter was aimed more at containing political damage than finding a solution to the students' grievances. He described it as a “safety valve” intended to save face.

Meanwhile, students continued their protest at Ranchi's Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, demanding strict action over alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

The protesters have announced that they will lay siege to the Chief Minister's residence on August 20 if their demands remain unresolved following the latest round of talks.

Despite the prolonged deadlock, members of the student delegation said they were hopeful that Monday's discussions could lead to a breakthrough.

“There had been a deadlock over our demands, so we hope the talks will be successful and the deadlock will be resolved,” a member of the delegation said.

The latest round of negotiations is particularly important as the agitation has continued for more than three weeks and several students have also undertaken hunger strikes. A lasting resolution is likely to depend not only on assurances from the government but also on concrete steps regarding investigation of alleged irregularities, accountability and reforms to make future recruitment examinations more transparent and secure.