The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (August 10, 2026) dared the Congress leadership and Rahul Gandhi to withdraw support to the Hemant Soren government if demands of the students are not accepted.

Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi said the lathi-charge on the students will prove to be the “final nail in the coffin” for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress government in the State.

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BJP MLAs led by the party’s State president Aditya Sahu and Mr. Marandi staged a protest outside Chief Minister Soren’s residence in Ranchi to express support for the protesting students. They demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities across all recruitment exams and sought Mr. Soren’s resignation. The BJP leaders were detained by the police.

Mr. Marandi said students have been protesting for over 17 days and the health of many protesters had deteriorated, but the government remained a spectator. He alleged that the JMM-Congress government was “openly selling” Jharkhand Public Service Commission and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission jobs.

“It is an injustice done to the lakhs of poor, Dalit, tribal, rural, and hardworking youths of Jharkhand who dream of securing employment after years of struggle,” he said, adding that the lathi charge on students was an “act of cruelty and barbarism”.

“The government may do as much cruelty and barbarism as it wishes, but every act of repression will break down before the spirit of the youth. The JMM-Congress government must remember that a befitting response will be given for every baton used against the students of Jharkhand,” he said.

Mr. Sahu termed the Jharkhand Government as “oppressive and dictatorial”, saying that the manner in which BJP leaders were forcibly dragged and bundled into a bus is “not a good sign for democracy”.

He said the Hemant Soren government wants to suppress the students’ voices through brutal force. “The police lathi charge on unarmed students marks a dark chapter for democracy. While the Congress party staged protests outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Delhi, it remained silent regarding the oppression committed by its own government in Jharkhand. Congress and Rahul Gandhi should pressure Hemant Soren to fulfil the students’ demand or immediately withdraw support to his government,” he said.

Mr. Gandhi condemned the lathi charge on the students by writing a post on his social media account X, saying, “The use of force against students protesting in Jharkhand is wrong. Students have a right to peaceful protest, and only dialogue can yield solutions. The Jharkhand government must continue to hear these students out and resolve their issues immediately.”

Published - August 10, 2026 08:57 pm IST