Student protests in Jharkhand have created a political opportunity for the BJP to counter the Congress's pressure regarding student demonstrations. The Congress had been criticizing the central government's handling of student protests in Delhi, but the situation in Jharkhand, a JMM-Congress-ruled state, has allowed the BJP to build a counter-narrative by questioning the Congress's genuine concern for students. BJP MPs are highlighting alleged violence against students in Jharkhand to challenge the Congress's position. While student protests initially in BJP-ruled states lent legitimacy to the Congress's narrative, the Jharkhand events complicate their stance. Congress leaders in Jharkhand indicate that decisions regarding protester responses were made by the state government, with the Congress being a junior alliance partner. Despite the BJP's counter-arguments, the Congress maintains its focus on advocating for the education sector and pressuring the central government.

Student protests in Jharkhand have created a political opportunity for the BJP to counter the Congress's pressure regarding student demonstrations. The Congress had been criticizing the central government's handling of student protests in Delhi, but the situation in Jharkhand, a JMM-Congress-ruled state, has allowed the BJP to build a counter-narrative by questioning the Congress's genuine concern for students. BJP MPs are highlighting alleged violence against students in Jharkhand to challenge the Congress's position. While student protests initially in BJP-ruled states lent legitimacy to the Congress's narrative, the Jharkhand events complicate their stance. Congress leaders in Jharkhand indicate that decisions regarding protester responses were made by the state government, with the Congress being a junior alliance partner. Despite the BJP's counter-arguments, the Congress maintains its focus on advocating for the education sector and pressuring the central government.

Student protests in Jharkhand have created a political opportunity for the BJP to counter the Congress's pressure regarding student demonstrations. The Congress had been criticizing the central government's handling of student protests in Delhi, but the situation in Jharkhand, a JMM-Congress-ruled state, has allowed the BJP to build a counter-narrative by questioning the Congress's genuine concern for students. BJP MPs are highlighting alleged violence against students in Jharkhand to challenge the Congress's position. While student protests initially in BJP-ruled states lent legitimacy to the Congress's narrative, the Jharkhand events complicate their stance. Congress leaders in Jharkhand indicate that decisions regarding protester responses were made by the state government, with the Congress being a junior alliance partner. Despite the BJP's counter-arguments, the Congress maintains its focus on advocating for the education sector and pressuring the central government.

During the monsoon session of the Parliament, the Congress party built prolonged pressure on the Central government led by the BJP to answer how, who and why the lathi-charge was ordered against peaceful protesters during the student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Delhi. To counter the Congress, the BJP has now got an opening against the grand old party when a similar response was meted out to protesting students in JMM-Congress-ruled Jharkhand.

It holds significance as Opposition leaders believed that there was little space for the saffron camp to sufficiently answer the opposition’s pointed questions. But the Jharkhand protests seem to have weakened that argument.

“Although there are people saying why Rahul Gandhi isn’t coming to Jharkhand and supporting the youth of Jharkhand, if we look at it without bias, he has said that he supports students everywhere and extended support for Jharkhand students also. So only the BJP is saying this,” a senior Congress leader said.

As there are allegations that the Jharkhand government has used violence against students, BJP leaders have been repeating that if the Congress were so concerned about students, why is it not pulling out of the alliance. BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey, Anurag Thakur, Sambit Patra and others are building a counter-narrative against the Congress on the same issue that the party was seen to be championing before the protests.

The student protests had first broken out in large numbers in Maharashtra and Bihar, apart from Delhi, which were all ruled by the BJP, lending legitimacy to the Congress’s narrative. Congress leaders say there is an ecosystem, including a section of the media, behind the saffron camp that wants to delegitimise the students’ concerns by making the protests political rather than addressing the issues raised by the students and taking corrective measures in the way of education sector.

According to leaders in Jharkhand, the government, including ministers, are mostly controlled by the chief minister rather than alliance partners, particularly individual ministers. “In many states, even the ministries are influenced by bureaucrats who directly report to the CM and therefore don't have full authority over their ministries either. Therefore, the Congress is a junior partner in the alliance in Jharkhand and doesn't make decisions such as ordering a response to the protesters. But this type of rhetoric from BJP leaders doesn't have any impact on our alliance. The alliance will remain the way it is functioning,” another senior Congress leader said.

The Congress party is in alliance as a junior partner in three states—Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand—out of which it has the most number of legislators in Jharkhand, with 16 MLAs. In J&K, it has six MLAs, and in Tamil Nadu, it has five.

Congress leaders also suggest that the Jharkhand government’s handling of the students has weakened the Congress' narrative. “The Congress will fight its fight against the system that has weakened the education institutions of the country and keep increasing its pressure at the Centre irrespective of what BJP says,” a senior Congress leader in the AICC said.

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