Students Vs Congress Ally: Rahul Gandhi's NEET Playbook Faces Its Biggest Test In Jharkhand

Published 10 August 2026 · politics

News explainers Students Vs Congress Ally: Rahul Gandhi's NEET Playbook Faces Its Biggest Test In Jharkhand Students Vs Congress Ally: Rahul Gandhi's NEET Playbook Faces

News explainers Students Vs Congress Ally: Rahul Gandhi's NEET Playbook Faces Its Biggest Test In Jharkhand Students Vs Congress Ally: Rahul Gandhi's NEET Playbook Faces Its Biggest Test In Jharkhand Written By, Last Updated: August 10, 2026, 12:13 IST Congress made exam integrity a national issue against the Centre. Now, with Jharkhand students protesting ally Hemant Soren’s government, the party faces a test of its own Rapid Read Congress has so far chosen to avoid the obvious contradiction by supporting the students while pushing Hemant Soren towards dialogue. (X) For weeks, the Congress has put students and examination integrity at the centre of its political attack on the Centre. From the NEET controversy to its nationwide ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign, the party has sought to turn exam irregularities into a larger issue of government accountability. Now, that politics has landed much closer home. Students in Jharkhand are escalating their protests over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), with protesters marching towards the state assembly on Monday. The target this time is not the Centre but the Hemant Soren government, an administration in which Congress is a partner. That leaves Congress with an awkward political question: How does it stand with protesting students without putting its own alliance government under pressure? Congress Supports Students Congress has so far chosen to stand with the protesters rather than defend the Jharkhand government outright. The party’s Jharkhand in-charge K Raju said Congress, along with Rahul Gandhi, stood in “full strength and solidarity" with students fighting for their rights and justice. A Congress delegation also met Soren and urged him to create a ministerial committee to engage with the protesters. Speaking on the issue, Gandhi, during an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Instagram, claimed the current system has become expensive and “oppressive" and urged all governments to address students’ concerns. Without naming Jharkhand, he added: “I have clearly said in Dehradun and Kota, and I am going to say in Allahabad as well that our education system has collapsed.

Every government must listen to students and take action to change the education system, whether it is a Congress government, the central government, or the Jharkhand government," Gandhi said. Earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also backed the protesters, saying his party stands with students and youth “whether it is Jharkhand, Punjab, Delhi or anywhere else". The message is significant because Congress is effectively supporting a protest against a government in which it is a stakeholder. However, there is a political logic behind the move. The party has already made examination transparency and the future of young Indians a major national political issue. It would be difficult for Congress to demand accountability from the Centre over NEET while appearing reluctant to extend the same principle to a state government led by an ally. From NEET To Jharkhand: The Same Political Argument During the NEET controversy, Congress accused the Centre of failing students and allowing examination irregularities to undermine their futures. The party launched its ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign, held press conferences across the country and demanded accountability over examination irregularities. It also joined students in their demand for the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who eventually stepped down, and described repeated exam controversies as evidence of institutional failure. That creates a problem in Jharkhand. The political argument Congress used against the Centre—students deserve transparency, accountability and justice when examinations are questioned—can equally be deployed against an ally. If Congress now dismisses or downplays the Jharkhand agitation, the BJP can accuse it of having one standard for BJP governments and another for Opposition-ruled states. If it backs the protesters too aggressively, however, it risks weakening a government that is part of the INDIA bloc. What Are Students Protesting About? The latest agitation is rooted in allegations surrounding several recruitment examinations. The 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination has become the immediate flashpoint. Candidates raised questions after the preliminary results were announced, including over the absence of category-wise cut-off marks and aspects of the merit list. The controversy intensified after the former JPSC chairman L Khiangte resigned amid a CID investigation, with raids and arrests linked to the probe.