West Bengal minister terms Rahul Gandhi's Delhi police station sit-in 'photo-op', asks why he is not in Jharkhand

Kolkata: West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Saturday slammed Rahul Gandhi for his dharna at a New Delhi police station demanding an FIR over a youth's pellet injuries during the July 20 protest there, and asked why he was not in Jharkhand amid students' agitation against alleged exam irregularities.

The senior Congress leader on Friday staged a dramatic six-hour dharna at the Parliament Street police station and ended it only after police registered the complaint.

Gandhi had raised the pitch on the issue after 19-year-old Sahil Lochab claimed that the police were refusing to register an FIR on his complaint despite him suffering pellet wounds, including damage to his eye.


Read more: Rahul Gandhi stages sit-in with student over alleged pellet-gun use at protest

Taking potshot at the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Ghosh said, "Rahul Gandhi is not going where he should."

"Students are protesting in Jharkhand, and there is a Congress-backed government there. The court has termed the government's decision (to cancel exams) wrong. Now he has no work and is sitting there (in Delhi) for a photo-op," the BJP leader told reporters here.

The JMM-Congress alliance government's decision to cancel 22 job exams and order a probe into 23 others quelled the 26-day stir against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand's recruitment exams but triggered another protest by successful candidates, many of whom moved the High Court fearing job loss.

Read more: Rahul Gandhi ends six-hour dharna after FIR registered over youth's pellet injuries

Hearing their pleas, the Jharkhand High Court stayed a number of government notifications cancelling recruitment exams.

This caused disgruntlement among the exam protesters, who accused the Hemant Soren government of "betraying" them by failing to properly defend in the High Court its decision to cancel several recruitment exams, a key demand of the agitators.

The BJP extended its support to the protesters and accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of showcasing a "duplicitous attitude" over students' welfare. The ruling JMM, on the other hand, alleged the BJP was using students to further its political interests.