New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): BJP MP from Jharkhand’s Deoghar, Nishikant Dubey, on Tuesday slammed the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his “duplicitous mindset” and challenged him to withdraw support from the Jharkhand government following the alleged lathi-charge on student protesters in Ranchi.
Speaking to reporters, Dubey accused the LoP of practising “double standards,” saying, “Given the intensity of his opposition to Modi–and the fact that he consistently aligns with elements seeking to tear the country apart–there is a message for you: put an end to this duplicitous mindset, this double standard, and this divisive mentality. Stand with the students and ensure they get justice.”
The BJP MP further dared Gandhi to take a decisive political stand instead of limiting his activism to social media platforms.
“You are in government and have the platform to hold press conferences; stop playing games on Twitter. If you truly have the courage, the standing, and a genuine concern for the students’ welfare, then withdraw your support from the government over the lathi-charge incident involving Devendra Nath Mahato, who was on a hunger strike. Come forward and provide an answer; if you fail to do so, the public will give you a fitting reply,” Dubey added.
Echoing these sentiments, BJP MP Pradip Kumar Varma also stated that the entire country expects an explanation from the Congress leadership regarding the use of force against JSSC and JPSC aspirants.
“The entire country is demanding an answer from Rahul Gandhi for the lathi-charge against students in Jharkhand. He should come to the House and tell why his government in Jharkhand lathi-charged students barbarically,” Varma said.
BJP MP Ajit Gopchade also took a dig at the Congress leader’s self-portrayal as a champion of youth rights.
“Students’ sympathiser Rahul Gandhi is not speaking for students in Jharkhand when the government is doing injustice to them,” he remarked.
The remarks come in the wake of intensifying agitations in Jharkhand, where recruitment exam aspirants have been demanding a CBI probe into alleged paper leaks.
The BJP has used the recent police action against these students to corner the Congress-JMM alliance, contrasting it with the Congress’ vocal support for student protests that happened in Delhi on July 20.
Meanwhile, the BJP unit of Jharkhand on Tuesday observed a statewide bandh after Jharkhand Police on Monday used lathis and water cannons to control the crowd during the ‘Vidhan Sabha gherao’ march by Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) aspirants in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examinations.
The protesting aspirants have been demanding cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, a CBI probe into alleged irregularities, and reforms in the recruitment process. They have also alleged that their demands have not been fully accepted by the state government. (ANI)