New Delhi, Aug 11: Amid the ongoing Parliament stand-off, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday launched a scathing critique of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, accusing them of holding the House to ransom and exploiting the students’ protest to gain political mileage.

In a pointed attack at the Leader of Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, the BJP claimed that his arrogance was a key reason behind the Parliament logjam.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Constitution makers would never have imagined that the temple of democracy would become ‘hostage’ to whims, fancies, and the arrogant attitude of any ‘Shehzada’, a pointed reference to LoP Rahul Gandhi.

“Bhaago mat, daro mat, aur kaan kholkar .. grih mantri ka jawaab suno,” the BJP MP said in Hindi, roughly translating into “don’t run, don’t get frightened, and listen to Home Minister’s reply with open ears”.

Pinning the blame on Rahul and Congress for the Parliament washout, he said that the Opposition’s behaviour over the past few days clearly exhibited their disruption tactics and blatant bid to derail the House proceedings.

He said the government was quick and prompt in addressing the issues raised by the Opposition, but they didn’t keep their word.

“They (Opposition) have been consistently changing the goalposts. First, they demanded stern action against the paper leak mafia and strict regulations to address flaws in the NEET examinations. A new bill was approved by the Cabinet and passed by Parliament, the Education Minister stepped down from his post, and the cases against unruly elements during the Jantar Mantar demonstration were also withdrawn,” the BJP national spokesperson said.

Trivedi stated that the government also agreed to the Opposition’s demand for the Home Minister’s reply, but they decided to run away from debate.

“They insisted on Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on the Delhi Police crackdown. The government and Home Minister are ready to give a reply in the House, but the Congress party is bent on disrupting the House by now allowing it to function,” the BJP MP pointed out, accusing them of holding the House to ransom.

Claiming that Congress has a history of ‘running away’, he stated that whenever the government readies its reply on any issue, the Opposition develops cold feet and runs away from the House. He cited previous instances, including the Prime Minister’s reply on the Manipur crisis.

“You must not be frightened; you must not run away from debate. You are neither going to Ranchi, nor are you listening to debate that you are demanding,” he said.

Further taking a swipe at ‘Chhattron ki Goonj’, a Congress event to mobilise students’ anger over paper leaks, Trivedi said that the agony and pain of protesting students was not audible to Rahul and the Congress party because of their duplicity.

“Congress party is least worried about the causes and interests of students and is rather milking the issue for political point-scoring, and their leader (Rahul Gandhi) is leaving no opportunity to hold the House to ransom,” he said.

“When Parliament session is underway, he runs away from the House, and after the session is over, he heads on jaunts at foreign locations,” said Trivedi in a bitter taunt.

Ranchi : The bandh called by the BJP across Jharkhand and the Assembly gherao programme organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Ranchi on Tuesday, in protest against the police lathicharge on students agitating over alleged irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations, witnessed a mixed response.

While BJP workers staged demonstrations and blocked roads at several locations in the state capital, ABVP activists attempting to march towards the Jharkhand Assembly were stopped and detained by the police.

Despite sporadic disruptions, normal life remained largely unaffected in many parts of Ranchi during the morning hours. Most commercial establishments stayed open and vehicular movement was largely smooth across the city.

From around 8 a.m., BJP workers took to the streets in several localities, urging traders to down shutters in support of the bandh. Road blockades were reported from Kanke Road, Ratu Road, Harmu Chowk, Argora Chowk, Bodeya and near the CMPDI gate.

Protesters also burnt tyres at several places, disrupting traffic for brief periods before police personnel cleared the roads and restored movement.

In Namkum, BJP workers staged a sit-in protest at Bazaar Chowk around 11 a.m. and blocked the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway after burning tyres. Police later detained the protesters and removed the blockade, resulting in long queues of vehicles on both sides of the highway.

A similar protest was organised in Lowadih under the leadership of BJP Mandal president Ashok Gop. According to police, 11 bandh supporters were detained from Lowadih and 17 from Namkum and taken to the local police station.

However, the impact of the bandh was uneven across the state capital. Markets remained open and traffic moved normally in several areas, including Main Road, Bariatu and Morabadi.

Meanwhile, the ABVP’s Assembly gherao programme saw activists from across the state gather near the old Assembly complex to protest Monday’s police action against students associated with the JPSC-JSSC movement.

Sloganeering activists sat on the road and attempted to proceed towards the Assembly premises, but were stopped by police.

A brief scuffle ensued between protesters and security personnel during the standoff.

Police subsequently detained the activists and escorted them into buses. In a dramatic show of protest, some student leaders climbed onto bus roofs and continued raising slogans, while others lay down on the road in front of and behind the vehicles.

Outside Ranchi, the bandh had a more pronounced impact in several districts, including Hazaribagh, Palamu, Giridih and Chatra, where BJP workers organised demonstrations and road blockades, affecting vehicular movement.

In Palamu district, BJP workers blocked roads at Chhahmuhan and Redma Chowk in Daltonganj from the early hours of the morning. BJP’s Palamu district president Amit Tiwari accused the state government of endangering the future of the state’s youth through alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

In Simdega, party workers blocked National Highway-143 at multiple locations, including Biru, disrupting traffic. Similar road blockades were reported from Dhanwar in Giridih district and Pratappur in Chatra district. Demonstrations backing the bandh were also reported from several other parts of the state.

The bandh call came a day after clashes erupted between students and police during a march towards the Jharkhand Assembly. Thousands of students had gathered on Monday demanding cancellation of the disputed JPSC and JSSC examinations, reforms in the recruitment process, and a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.

Police had erected multiple barricades to prevent protesters from advancing towards the Assembly. Water cannons and tear gas were used to disperse the crowd, following which a lathicharge was carried out. Several students and police personnel were reportedly injured in the confrontation.

Ranchi : The issue of alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) dominated proceedings inside and outside the Jharkhand Assembly on Tuesday, the fourth day of the Monsoon Session.

Opposition members raised slogans and stormed the Well of the House, demanding a CBI probe into the alleged recruitment scam.

As soon as Assembly proceedings commenced at 11:07 a.m., BJP legislators, led by Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, rose from their seats and began protesting, seeking answers from the government over the JPSC-JSSC recruitment controversy. Several opposition members soon entered the Well of the House and continued sloganeering.

Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato repeatedly urged the protesting members to return to their seats and allow Question Hour to proceed.

He remarked that all members were concerned about the interests of students and stressed the need for the House to function smoothly.

However, despite his repeated appeals, the disruption continued, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings until noon.

The confrontation also triggered sharp exchanges between members of the ruling alliance and the opposition.

Congress Legislature Party leader Pradeep Yadav accused the opposition of wasting the Assembly’s time and attempting to create an atmosphere of disorder in the state.

He said the government was serious about safeguarding the future of students and noted that cases related to the JPSC-JSSC recruitment examinations were already being investigated by the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Yadav further stated that students staged a protest outside the Assembly on Monday and that the government would place the entire sequence of events before the House.

He alleged that while the students’ demonstration was peaceful, some individuals allegedly linked to the BJP attempted to disrupt the situation. According to him, the administration had also arranged transportation to facilitate the students’ return after the protest concluded.

Opposition members maintained that only a CBI investigation could ensure an impartial probe into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment examinations. They also raised the issue of alleged police action against students during Monday’s Assembly gherao protest.