The police action against job aspirants in Ranchi came under severe criticism from Shiv Sena, with party leaders accusing Rahul Gandhi of pursuing a political agenda in the name of students and questioning the purported bias of some MPs, celebrities and activists against the NDA.

The remarks come after police in Ranchi used water cannons, lobbed tear gas shells, and lathi-charged job aspirants as they breached barricades and attempted to reach the State Assembly, protesting the alleged recruitment exam irregularities.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam alleged that Rahul Gandhi never held a dialogue with protesters in Jharkhand, where demonstrations have been staged for the last two weeks, but people are baton-charged.

“Rahul Gandhi is doing politics in the name of students. He has not engaged with (protesting) students. If he is really concerned about the issues of the students, then he should resolve it,” Mr. Nirupam added.

He claimed that neither the Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha visited Ranchi nor has the Congress (which is part of the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand) issued any statement on the protests by students.

Referring to Jharkhand protests, Mr. Nirupam’s party colleague and MP Milind Deora questioned “selective outrage”, which he said depends on who is in power and where the paper leak happens. – PTI