Students’ JPSC-JSSC Stir Enters 16th Day, Third Round of Talks Set Today
Union minister Annapurna Devi slams Rahul Gandhi over silence on protest
Key Points:
- Ranchi students’ agitation over JPSC, JSSC exam irregularities hits 16th day
- Third round of government-student negotiations due shortly
- Annapurna Devi accuses Rahul Gandhi of double standards on the issue
RANCHI – Students protesting alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission examinations completed the 16th day of their agitation on Sunday.
A third round of talks between the state government and the protesting students was scheduled to take place shortly. The negotiations follow two earlier rounds that failed to produce a resolution.
Meanwhile, Union minister and Koderma MP Annapurna Devi launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the ongoing protest. She spoke to reporters at her residence in Koderma.
She said Congress’s conduct on the Ranchi student agitation had exposed what she called the party’s double standards. According to her, Gandhi had not offered a single response to the students protesting in the state capital.
Devi posed a direct question to the Congress leader, asking whether the agitating students in Jharkhand were not also children of the country. She questioned whether their demands were not legitimate and whether their protest over the examinations was not justified.
She further said Gandhi does not speak on issues in Punjab, Karnataka or Kerala either. However, she said that if the government and its allied parties had any sympathy for the protesting students, they should accept the students’ demands and order an investigation into the alleged examination irregularities.
The remarks came as the student agitation continued for a 16th consecutive day, with pressure mounting on the state government ahead of the fresh round of talks. Similar friction over exam administration has surfaced elsewhere in the state, including JPSC exam centre changes made ahead of a previous prelims exam and an earlier protest at JSSC headquarters over exam postponement.
