Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 17 : Amid the prolonged agitation by JPSC-JSSC candidates in Ranchi, Jharkhand Ministers Deepika Pandey and Irfan Ansari on Monday said the state government was committed to addressing the legitimate demands of protesting students and maintained that dialogue remained the only way to find a solution.
Minister Deepika Pandey said the government had already held multiple rounds of discussions with representatives of the protesting candidates and was continuing efforts to reach an understanding on their demands.
"Continuous efforts are being made to meet all the legitimate demands of the students. I wish to place before you the points agreed upon after two rounds of discussions with them," she said.
Jharkhand Minister Irfan Ansari said that Dialogue with the students was the only way to resolve any issues.
"The Congress party stands with the youth; our government stands with the youth. Their demands are legitimate. The government is considering them. There was uncertainty regarding whether the government would agree to certain points, but those matters are being discussed again. Dialogue is the only way to resolve this issue... The BJP wants to hijack this issue. Where did the BJP come from in all this? The youth belong to us; we are talking to them," he said.
Both ministers also accused the BJP of attempting to politically appropriate the student movement. Deepika Pandey alleged that the opposition was using students as a "shield" to target the state government and cause economic harm to Jharkhand.
"The BJP wants to hijack this issue. Where did the BJP come from in all this? The youth belong to us; we are talking to them," Ansari said.
The remarks came as the government made another attempt to engage with the protesters amid growing tensions over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). The latest round of talks was scheduled for Monday, with the government seeking to break the deadlock after earlier discussions failed to produce a final resolution.
The agitation has now continued for more than three weeks. Protesters have been demanding greater transparency and accountability in the recruitment process and have sought, among other things, cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities.
The dispute intensified earlier this month when thousands of job aspirants marched towards the Jharkhand Assembly in Ranchi. On August 10, protesters breached police barricades during the march, following which police used lathi-charge, tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The confrontation resulted in injuries and further escalated the standoff between the government and the student groups.
The agitation has also drawn increasing political attention. The BJP has criticised the Hemant Soren government over its handling of the protests and has demanded an impartial investigation into the allegations. The opposition has also questioned the government's reluctance to order a CBI probe.
Meanwhile, JLKM leader and student activist Devendra Nath Mahto has been on an indefinite hunger strike over the recruitment-related grievances. On August 17, he entered the 15th day of his hunger strike, with reports saying his health had deteriorated amid dehydration and falling blood pressure.
The government has maintained that it is willing to engage with the protesters, while the students have insisted that discussions must result in concrete action on their demands. The latest talks are therefore being closely watched as the prolonged agitation continues to put pressure on the Jharkhand government.