Patna: Jan Suraaj Party President Manoj Bharti, along with a party delegation, met Bihar Chief Secretary Amrit Lala Meena at the Secretariat to discuss the ongoing hunger strike by Prashant Kishore, the party’s founder, and the demands of BPSC students. The delegation, which included MLC Afaque Ahmed, former MP Sitaram Yadav, former MLA Kishore Kumar, retired officer Arvind Thakur, Lalan Yadav, and N.K. Mandal, submitted a memorandum outlining five key demands.
The demands included conducting a high-level inquiry into alleged irregularities and corruption in the 70th BPSC examination, re-conducting the examination, and providing unemployment allowances to youths between the ages of 18 and 35, as promised in 2015 under the 7 Nischay scheme. Other requests included issuing a white paper on irregularities and paper leaks in competitive exams over the past decade, taking action against officers involved in mistreating students, and implementing a domicile policy to ensure Bihar youths get a two-third share in government jobs within the state.
Prashant Kishore, who began his hunger strike on January 2, was arrested by police on January 6 but was released on bail the same evening. His health deteriorated on January 7, and he was admitted to the ICU at Medanta Hospital. Bharti expressed concern over Kishore’s health and urged the government to act on the students’ demands. He mentioned that Prashant Kishore would reconsider his hunger strike only after a delegation meets the Chief Minister.
Bharti also addressed the political allegations from RJD, BJP, and JDU, challenging their leaders to participate in a Satyagraha for the students’ cause, similar to the one led by Prashant Kishore, instead of engaging in counter-allegations. He called for a focus on the demands of the students and a peaceful resolution to the situation.
