The decision came after five rounds of discussions over Friday and Saturday, including a meeting with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which has been leading the protest.
The Jharkhand government has announced another round of talks with protesting job aspirants after a series of meetings with student groups failed to end a 15-day agitation over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. The fresh meeting with student representatives is scheduled for 12 pm on Sunday.
The decision came after five rounds of discussions over Friday and Saturday, including a meeting with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which has been leading the protest. Soon after the announcement, the group accused the government of “political manoeuvring” and said the move was aimed at dividing students and shifting attention from their main demands.
On Saturday, the Hemant Soren government held four rounds of talks with different student organisations, including the Congress-backed NSUI, Jharkhand Chhatra Morcha and Adivasi Chhatra Sangh. The government had held talks with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch on Friday.
After a four-hour meeting between the government panel and Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday evening, Rural Development Minister Dipika Pandey Singh said the panel had informed the chief minister about the demands and concerns raised by student delegations. “It was decided in the meeting with the chief minister that a final round of talks with the protesting students will take place at 12 pm on Sunday,” she said.
The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch strongly objected to the fresh engagement with other student bodies. Ravindra Paswan, a leader of the group, said the government was trying to weaken the agitation by holding talks with organisations that had “played no role in the ongoing protest.”
“This is political manoeuvring by the government. It is trying to create a divide among students and divert attention. But they should know that all students are united,” Paswan said at a press conference at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, where students have been protesting since July 25. He said the Manch had already placed all its demands before the five-member government panel during a detailed meeting on Friday night.
The government panel, comprising ministers Dipika Pandey Singh, Sudivya Kumar, Chamra Linda and Sanjay Prasad Yadav, first met the faction of protesters led by Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha leader Devendra Nath Mahto, whose fast entered its seventh day. It later met the NSUI, ACS and JCM separately and sought their charters of demand. The JCM submitted five demands, including cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination.
The NSUI submitted six demands, including a CID probe within 90 days into all JPSC and JSSC examinations under suspicion and the setting up of a Jharkhand Testing Agency on the lines of the National Testing Agency. ACS leader Kartik Oraon demanded that tribal and regional languages be included as qualifying papers in recruitment examinations and that tests in which irregularities were found be cancelled.
The government said the discussions were held in a positive atmosphere and that it was considering the concerns raised by the protesting aspirants. Minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav said the government would continue talks with the agitators seeking comprehensive reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission. Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the government had issued an email ID to seek suggestions from aspirants on reforms in the recruitment process.
Despite the talks, the protesters said their agitation would continue until all their demands were met. They also announced a march to the Assembly on August 10 if the government failed to meet their demands by Sunday. Meanwhile, the All India Students’ Association set up a separate platform at the stadium on Saturday, though its leaders said this should not be seen as a separate agitation.
AISA national president Neha Bora, who was attacked with ink during Friday’s Assembly march near Birsa Chowk, briefly joined the protest and raised slogans demanding cancellation of the 14th JPSC and JSSC-CGL examinations. Ranchi unit chief Vijay Kumar said the organisation had the same demands as the larger agitation and that its members would join the August 10 march without carrying the AISA banner.
The agitation has also seen protests by the ABVP. On Friday, its members scuffled with police while trying to breach barricades near the chief minister’s residence. Deputy Superintendent of Police Ajay Aryan said around eight to 10 ABVP protesters were detained during the march and later released. The ABVP has announced a separate Vidhan Sabha march on August 11.
