Above party politics, it is an opportunity for us to take this forward,” he said while inviting Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejaswi Yadav to join the students’ movement.
Political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike since Thursday demanding the cancellation of the Bihar Civil Services (BPSC) examination, sought the support of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Tejaswi Yadav.
“Last night, the candidates formed a 51-member committee called ‘Yuva Satyagraha Samiti’ (YSS), which will steer this movement of which I am just a part. Everyone is welcome to support the movement, including Rahul Gandhi, who has 100 MPs, and Tejashwi Yadav, who has more than 70 MLAs,” Kishor said.
“These leaders are much bigger than us. They can get five lakh people to gather at the Gandhi Maidan. This is the time to do so. The future of the youth is at stake. We are faced with a brutal regime which has ordered lathi charges 87 times in just three years,” he added.
The Jan Suraaj chief stated that he did not expect any BJP leaders to join the protest, claiming they lacked “the courage to speak against their government”. However, he added that any BJP leader joining the protest “guided by conscience” would be welcomed.
Kishor also said that all the members of the Yuva Satyagraha Samiti belonged to different political organisations, but they had come “under one umbrella to unitedly fight for the cause of the students.”
Prashant Kishor said that it was not only a movement to cancel the BPSC but also a “matter of civil rights.”
“No matter how powerful the government is, there is no power greater than the people’s power,” he added.
Notably, the BPSC had ordered a retest for some candidates who appeared in the exam held on December 13. The retest was conducted at 22 centres in Patna. Out of 12,012 candidates, nearly 8,111 aspirants had downloaded their admit cards. However, 5,943 students appeared for the retest.
