Bihar: Prashant Kishor ends fast unto death over 'irregularities' in BPSC exam
Patna, Jan 16 (PTI): Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor on Thursday withdrew his fast unto death after 14 days of protest over alleged irregularities in a competitive exam conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission on December 13 last year.
However, the former political strategist said his 'Satyagraha' would continue for the cause of civil service aspirants, and the youth of the state and also against the alleged 'authoritarian' attitude of the state government.
"The matter, seeking the cancellation of the BPSC's 70th Combined Competitive exam held on December 13, is being heard by the Patna High Court today. It is a coincidence that I am calling off my fast unto death on a day when the matter is being heard before the court. We are quite hopeful that job aspirants will get justice from the Patna High Court. If they don't get justice, we will knock on the door of the Supreme Court," Kishor said.
He had started the fast unto death on January 2, demanding cancellation of the BPSC exam.
Before withdrawing his fast unto death at the party's camp office here, Kishor took a dip in the Ganga river and offered puja.
Kishor was offered fruit juice by his party workers as he withdrew from the hunger strike.
The party has set up its camp office at LCT Ghat on the bank of the Ganga river.
"Now, my 'Satyagraha' will continue from the Jan Suraaj party office here. We call it 'Bihar Satyagraha Ashram'. We will train at least 1 lakh students at this ashram till March 11," he said.
These trained students will create awareness among the people against the alleged injustice being faced by the socially weaker sections of the society and the youth, he claimed.
"I condemn the baton charge and police action against the protesting students in Bihar. The Jan Suraaj Party will file a criminal writ petition in the next two days against those bureaucrats who are behind the police action against the job aspirants. We will also go to the Human Rights Commission against the officials," Kishor said.
He also claimed, "Our 'Satyagraha' will also continue against the authoritarian attitude of the Nitish Kumar government, which has not said even a single word so far on students' demands."
Kishor also said the Bihar governor and the chief secretary met the protesting students, but "the CM never bothered to meet them".
"This shows his arrogance or insensitivity. He might not be able to understand the problems of students," the Jan Suraaj Party's founder alleged.
Kishor claimed, "People are discussing the mental health of the CM. I don't know anything about his mental health. But if people are talking about it, a bulletin about his overall health must be issued. After all, he is head of the state."
Elaborating on his 'Bihar Satyagraha Ashram' initiative, the former political strategist claimed that at least 5,000 students and youth will be trained here from January 20.
The philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi's 'Satyagraha' is to uplift communities to stand against injustices and to create change without violence, he said.
"Youths, inspired by 'Satyagraha' will play a key role in creating awareness among the masses. That's why I am going to start this initiative. My aim is to make the youth understand the importance of 'Satyagraha'," he said.
Kishor was recently discharged from a hospital in Patna following improvement in his health condition.
He was admitted to a private hospital, a day after his arrest by the police for staging a dharna at a site in the city where such agitations are prohibited.
Hours after his arrest, Kishor was granted bail by a local court.
"The government removed us from Gandhi Maidan, and now we are sitting in the lap of the holy Ganga river. I am confident that students will get the justice", said Kishor.
The competitive examination conducted by the BPSC on December 13 has been in the eye of a state-wide protest over allegations of question paper leak.
Even as the government dismissed the allegation, a fresh test was ordered for more than 12,000 candidates.
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Karnataka Muslim Convention to be held in Bengaluru on May 16
Muslim organisations to release report on Congress govt’s three-year performance
Bengaluru: Major Muslim organisations and federations in Karnataka have decided to organise a large public convention titled ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 16. During the convention, a comprehensive report reviewing the three-year performance of the Congress government under the theme “What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?” will be released.
According to a statement issued on Friday, no politicians will be invited to the convention. The report will be submitted to the government and all MLAs after the event.
The convention is being held at a time when the Congress government is nearing the completion of three years in office on May 20. Muslim organisations have expressed dissatisfaction, alleging that despite extending strong support to the Congress in bringing it to power, the community is being neglected.
The Convention is being organised at time when there are concerns over inadequate political representation for Muslims, alleged neglect of community demands, and the suspension of senior Muslim leaders who had worked for the party for decades.
The organisers said the convention aims to raise questions on what the Congress government has delivered so far and what further steps are expected from the government.
The decision to hold the convention was taken during a meeting held on May 6 at A J International Hotel in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru. Representatives of major Muslim organisations, associations, ulema bodies, federations, and members of the ad hoc committee of Karnataka Rajya Muslim Okkoota attended the meeting.
More than 75 representatives and delegates, including senior ulemas, jamaat leaders, lawyers, retired officials, journalists and members of the KRMO ad hoc committee, participated in the discussions.
Members of the KRMO ad hoc committee’s report preparation team and experts from different sectors presented a detailed report on the Congress government’s three-year performance. The report examined promises made to Muslims on ten major issues, the extent to which they were fulfilled, pending promises, alleged discrimination in representation, and the demands now being placed before the government.
The report covered issues such as the hijab ban, reservation cancellation, hate speech and hate crimes, budget allocation, political representation, waqf matters, the anti-cow slaughter law, anti-conversion law, scholarships and educational grants.
Participants offered suggestions and recommendations on various points, and necessary corrections to the report were accepted after detailed discussions.
The meeting also reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction over the manner in which the Congress government has treated the Muslim community. Participants are said to have opined that if the government and the Congress party continue in the same manner, the community should keep its political options open.
It was later decided that the report would be officially released at the large public convention on May 16 under the title “Karnataka Muslim Convention – What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?”
The organisers appealed to people from all districts of the state to participate in large numbers and send a strong message to the government and the Congress party through the convention.
They also decided that all organisations, jamaats and associations should work towards ensuring participation from every district in Karnataka.
The statement reiterated that no politicians would be invited to the May 16 convention and that the report on the Congress government’s three-year performance would be submitted to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs after the event.
