Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 17 (ANI): JPSC-JSSC aspirants continue their protest in Ranchi on Monday, with student protesters observing an indefinite hunger strike at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium as a fresh round of talks between the students and the Jharkhand government is scheduled to take place.
The protest has entered its 24th day, with student protesters continuing their agitation until their demands are addressed.
Speaking to ANI, one of the protesters, Baha Linda, appealed that if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is unhappy with the lathi charge on students, he should visit the protest site and withdraw support from the government, similar to his expression of unhappiness over the incident at Jantar Mantar.
“Rahul Gandhi says that he condemns the lathi charge. If you are really unhappy with the lathi charge on students, then we would like you to come to our protest site and withdraw support from the government, just as you expressed your unhappiness at Jantar Mantar,” Linda said.
He also raised concerns over city land being sold in the name of development and alleged that government posts in the state are being given to outsiders.
“City land is being sold in the name of development… The posts here are given only to outsiders, and outsiders dominate here,” he said.
Linda said that although talks are continuing, the government has not agreed to the protesters’ “real demands”.
“It is the 24th day of the strike. Talks are ongoing, but the government is not agreeing to our real demands. We will get our demands fulfilled under any circumstances,” he said.
Speaking to ANI, another protester, Alok Mehta, said that the students have consistently sought to resolve their concerns through dialogue.
“Today marks the 24th day of our protest. Our stance has been consistent from the very beginning: our objective is to have our demands met peacefully through dialogue,” Mehta said.
He said that representatives of the Chief Minister have arrived to initiate peace talks and that the students would accept the outcome if all their demands are met.
“Peace dialogue will take place today. If all our demands are accepted, we will accept it. If they are not met, we will proceed with the future strategy,” he said.
Mehta said that if the demands are fulfilled by August 18, the protesters would thank the Chief Minister. However, if their demands remain unresolved, they plan to proceed with their strategy for August 20 to lay siege to the Chief Minister’s residence.
The government has now allowed students to bring their own experts to the discussions, marking a step forward, according to the information provided. Earlier requests to include lawyers and journalists in the discussions had been denied.
Speaking to ANI, Former Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur said efforts had been made from the beginning to find a solution to the students’ demands through continuous talks.
“Right from the beginning, we have made efforts to find a solution to the demands of students. For this, we have been having continuous talks,” Thakur said.
He appealed to both the students and the government to set aside their “stubbornness” and listen to each other.
“We have been appealing to both – students and the Govt to set aside their stubbornness. An agreement can be reached only when both sides are heard, and both sides are ready to listen to each other. Stubbornness is not the solution,” he said.
Thakur said he believed the student representatives and government delegation would sit together and arrive at a decision by keeping the students at the centre of the discussion.
“So, we believe that students as well as the Govt delegation will sit together and a decision will be made by keeping students in focal point, and a positive result will come,” he said.
Thakur also criticised Babulal Marandi, alleging that he was trying to gain political points through the students’ protest.
“Babulal Marandi is doing his own politics. He has nothing to do with the students’ protest. They want to earn political points through this students’ protest. This doesn’t seem possible here,” he said.
He said that students should remain firm on their demand for reform and continue their agitation rather than return home after government assurances.
“Students should be adamant about a reformation in the system. They should be adamant for at least 3 months; only then will reformation come about. If they sit home after Govt’s assurance, then solution will not come out. They will have to be at it continuously and draw the Govt’s attention towards it,” Thakur said.
Meanwhile, BJP Jharkhand Chief Spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo said his party had no objection to talks and urged the government to accept the protesters’ demands.
“We have no objections to talks. The talks should indeed take place, and the Govt should accept the demands of the protesters,” Shah Deo said.
Shah Deo questioned the inclusion of four ministers in the latest talks, saying they had been part of the discussions from the beginning but previous talks had remained inconclusive.
He alleged that two of the ministers had made objectionable remarks against students and questioned what message their participation in the talks would send.
“So, what kind of message are you sending out? I wish the CM had shown sincerity and been a part of these talks,” Shah Deo said.
He accused the government of refusing to accept the students’ demands and alleged that the talks had effectively been abandoned after a minister said the demands could not be accepted.
“Why is he being stubborn and not accepting students’ demands? At the behest of Rahul Gandhi, he not only launches lathi charge on students, lodges false FIRs for attempt to murder, but he is also doing this to portray that they never stopped talks. You had abandoned the talks the very day your minister said that students’ demands cannot be accepted… You are not accepting their main demands,” he said.
Shah Deo said the Chief Minister should have personally participated in the talks and accepted the students’ demands.
“We believe that CM himself should have joined the talks and accepted all the demands of students. You forced students to stay under tents in pouring rain, when they should have been in the library,” he said. (ANI)