Ranchi, Aug 17 (IANS) Jharkhand Assembly Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi on Monday said that he was not convinced by the state government’s response to the demands raised by protesting students, alleging that the administration was more focused on setting up inquiry committees than taking concrete and substantive action to address their grievances.
Marandi’s remarks came as the ongoing protest over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) entered its 24th consecutive day on Monday.
Meanwhile, the fourth round of talks between government representatives and the protesting students is currently underway in Ranchi. The future direction of the movement will become clear only after the dialogue between the government and the students.
Speaking to IANS about the ongoing negotiations, Marandi said that while talks were necessary, the government’s approach so far had failed to inspire confidence among the protesting students.
“So far, I don’t find it very convincing, but they should hold talks because they have not resolved the issue yet. Whenever the students put pressure or announce a march to the Assembly, they form a committee for an inquiry. Whenever they talk about gheraoing the Chief Minister’s residence, they talk about an inquiry and discussions. They are only focused on forming committees,” Marandi said.
He alleged that the government had repeatedly responded to growing pressure from the students by announcing inquiries and discussions instead of taking decisive measures to resolve the concerns surrounding recruitment examinations.
Marandi also commented on the letter written by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
In the letter, LoP Gandhi urged CM Soren to personally meet the protesting students and engage with them to find a solution to the ongoing dispute.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s intervention, Marandi dismissed the letter as an attempt to manage the political fallout rather than a serious effort to resolve the students’ grievances.
“This is like a safety valve; he has only written it to save face,” Marandi said.
Gathered in large numbers at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, students have been continuously demonstrating to press for their demands over strict action against examination irregularities.
The students have announced that they will lay siege to the Chief Minister’s residence on August 20 if their demands remain unresolved after the fourth round of talks with government representatives.
Ahead of the latest round of discussions, however, the protesting students expressed hope that the dialogue would help break the prolonged deadlock and lead to a solution acceptable to them.
“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 student delegation said.
–IANS
sd/dan