The Congress on Tuesday accused the BJP of attempting to give a political colour to the ongoing student movement in Jharkhand, alleging that members of the BJP’s youth wing were being brought from West Bengal to participate in the protests.
Congress leaders claimed that some Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) members were being transported from West Bengal to Jharkhand in trucks and were being presented as part of the student mobilisation. The allegation came amid growing political tension over the protests by job aspirants in Ranchi against alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations.
The Congress described the student agitation as a non-violent movement focused on concerns over recruitment examinations and accused the BJP of trying to create what it called a “fake crowd” around the protests. The party said such efforts could alter the character of the movement and shift attention away from the concerns of the students.
The allegations come a day after thousands of students and job aspirants marched towards the Jharkhand Assembly in Ranchi. The protesters have been demanding action over alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), including allegations linked to examination leaks and unfair practices.
The march turned tense after protesters attempted to cross police barricades. Police used tear gas, water cannons and batons to disperse the crowd. Both protesters and police personnel were reported to have suffered injuries during the confrontation.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and K C Venugopal criticised the police action and called for dialogue with the protesting students. The Congress said the grievances of young job aspirants should be addressed rather than allowing the situation to become a political confrontation.
The BJP, meanwhile, has strongly backed the protesting aspirants and accused the Jharkhand government of using excessive force against them. The party has demanded a CBI investigation into the alleged recruitment irregularities and has called for a statewide bandh on August 11 to protest the police action.
The latest allegations have added another political layer to an agitation that began over students’ concerns about government recruitment. With both the ruling alliance and opposition parties trading accusations, the focus is now not only on the examination issues but also on who is participating in and shaping the growing protest movement.
