RANCHI: Amid ongoing talks with a high-level committee, the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch has strongly criticised the state government, alleging that it is attempting to undermine and derail the ongoing students’ movement.
Students, who have been staging an indefinite sit-in protest for the past 15 days against alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations, held a press conference late Saturday night at Jaipal Singh Stadium and levelled serious allegations against the government.
Notably, talks were held with the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch on Friday. The government subsequently held discussions with another group of students on Saturday and later sought suggestions from student organisations via email. This move has sparked resentment among the protesting students.
Ravindra Kumar, a leader of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch, said that after Friday’s meeting, they had received no communication from the government regarding a second round of talks. He emphasised that the protest would be called off only after the government provides a written assurance or issues an official notification addressing their demands.
“We have not received any communication from the government regarding a second round of talks. It is for the government to decide when to invite us for discussions on Sunday. I want to make it clear that we are ready to call off the protest if all our demands are fulfilled through a written assurance or an official notification, rather than mere verbal promises.
However, we have seen no such initiative from the government so far. Instead, it appears to be trying to undermine the movement. We remain firm and unwavering in our demands. Whatever tactics the government adopts, we know how to respond,” said Ravindra Kumar.
The students said they had already presented all their demands in detail, along with logical reasoning, during the first round of talks with the government. However, the government's decision to accept memoranda from various separate student organisations on Saturday has caused resentment among the protesters.
According to student leaders, the government delegation listened to their concerns seriously and assured them that their demands would be placed before the Chief Minister. They were also told that, after considering the demands, they would be invited for a second round of talks.
The students were waiting for further dialogue following the initial meeting. However, the government's acceptance of memoranda from various separate organisations on Saturday has led them to believe that an attempt is being made to weaken the agitation.
The students questioned why the government was accepting memoranda from separate organisations when they had been protesting unitedly under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch for the past 15 days and had already submitted all their demands to the government delegation.
They also questioned the purpose of accepting memoranda from organisations that, according to them, had not been visible during the agitation. The students alleged that the government was attempting to fragment the movement into two or three factions and create an impression that different groups of students were backing different organisations.
The protesters also questioned the government's decision to accept memoranda from the NSUI and the student wing of the JMM. They pointed out that NSUI is the student wing of the Congress, while the JMM's student wing is affiliated with the ruling party.
The students, therefore, demanded that the government clarify the objective behind accepting memoranda from these specific organisations.
