New Delhi: A day after Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor launched a fast unto death to press for the demand cancellation of an examination recently held by Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), he launched a scathing attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for ignoring students and vowed to continue the protest.
Kishor accused Kumar of being insensitive towards the concerns of the students over BPSC students' protest and remarked that the state's leader, with a population of 13 crore, refuses to meet his own children.
"This protest will continue. I have been working in Bihar for the last two and a half years. If I don't do politics, what will I do?" Kishor said. He countered accusations that his involvement was politically motivated and said, "If you beat someone, and I am sitting here in support of them--and then you call it politics, then I am doing the politics."
Kishor further criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, claiming that Kumar was more focused on maintaining power than addressing the needs of the people.
Kishor said, "The remedy is that the government must talk to the students. They have even said that if the Chief Minister meets them and assures them there won’t be re-exams, they will unconditionally call off their protests. However, the state's leader, with a population of 13 crore, refuses to meet his children. In a democracy, what options are left for these students?"
He continued, "Nitish Kumar doesn't want to work but wants to be in power only, and that's the reason he didn't help the people of Bihar during Covid times. He is not worried about other things but just about being in power."
Targeting Nitish, Kishor said, "This is against the egoistic government (of Bihar) whose leader CM Nitish Kumar did not consider meeting the students even when the students had agreed to withdraw the movement if the CM said that the exams couldn't be held... The students were beaten up by the authorities... There is only one way for people like us, Hence I am doing an indefinite hunger strike," he said.
The protesting students in Patna are demanding the cancellation of the Integrated Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination (CCE) 2024 conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) on December 13.
Meanwhile, earlier, supporters of Purnea MP Pappu Yadav, who organised 'rail roko' at Sachiwalay Halt Railway Station to support the students' protest against BPSC, were dispersed by the police.
Why does the hunger strike begin?
The hunger strike, staged in the severe cold, aims to press the government for justice and transparency in the examination process. The controversy erupted on December 13 when candidates at the Bapu Examination Centre boycotted the test due to delayed question papers. Lax security and mobile phone use during the examination further sparked outrage.
While the BPSC cancelled the examination at the Bapu centre and rescheduled it for December 4, students demanded the cancellation of exams across all centres, citing widespread irregularities. Tensions escalated on December 29 when protesters marching towards the Chief Minister's residence were met with water cannons and baton charges, leaving several injured. Despite these confrontations, the aspirants remain steadfast, calling for a thorough inquiry into the examination process and a fair re-examination. Earlier on December 30, a delegation of students met Bihar Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena, who assured them that their concerns were being considered. However, the government's silence on the matter ahead of the January 4 re-examination has left students dissatisfied.
