RANCHI — Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, reached out via phone to student representatives protesting in Ranchi over alleged recruitment exam irregularities, throwing his weight behind their demands for comprehensive structural reforms in Jharkhand’s education and selection commissions.
The phone interaction, facilitated by Ranchi Metropolitan Congress President Kumar Raja, came as the student agitation at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium entered its 14th day, with six demonstrators currently on a fast-unto-death hunger strike.
Phone Call and Student Demands
During the conversation with members of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Forum, Rahul Gandhi expressed solid support for the ongoing movement, noting that systemic overhauls are urgently required to restore credibility to government recruitment processes. He assured the demonstrators that their legitimate demands would be formally collected in writing by local Congress representatives and presented before the appropriate government levels.
Speaking about the phone exchange, student leader Ravindra Paswan stated that the delegation briefed Gandhi on the ground situation and highlighted irregularities surrounding examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
"We reminded him that Congress is a coalition partner in the state government and requested his direct intervention to help us," Paswan said, adding that students urged the Congress leadership to exert pressure on the administration to address their grievances. Fellow student representative Piyush Kumar Singh affirmed that while an 11-member delegation of students, legal advisors, and technical experts has been finalized for talks, the group is still awaiting a formal invitation and schedule from state officials.
Political Friction and Opposition Criticism
The phone call sparked immediate political friction in the state. Opposing political leaders criticized the move as insufficient given the Congress party's role in the governing alliance alongside Chief Minister Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pratul Shahdeo termed Gandhi’s gesture a "half-hearted message," questioning why senior ministers from the state government had not visited the demonstration site to engage with the fasting youth directly. BJP leaders contended that rather than issuing statements over the phone, the alliance leadership should immediately order an independent investigation into the examination allegations.
