Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday during his visit to Patna met the protesting BPSC exam candidates -- a development that is set to gain a significant political attention. The students, who have been agitating against alleged irregularities in the 70th Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) Preliminary Test (PT) held on December 13, 2024, demanded the cancellation of the examination, citing issues of "rigging" and "unfair practices".
Taking to X, Congress uploaded pictures of Rahul Gandhi's meeting with the agitating students and wrote: "Leader of Opposition Shri @RahulGandhi met BPSC aspirants in Patna and heard their demands. The demands of the youth are justified. The Bihar government should accept them." The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha chose not to make any public statements or announcements during the visit. Instead, he quietly interacted with the students, listened to their grievances, and tried to understand their struggles, leaving without addressing the media or issuing any commitment or statement.
According to sources, the students appreciated the visit by Rahul Gandhi, as it marked the first time a national-level leader directly engaged with them at the protest site. Political observers, however, submitted that Rahul Gandhi's silence on the issue might spark speculation about his intentions, with some viewing it as a strategic effort to avoid politicising the protest while showing solidarity with the candidates.
Recently, the controversy surrounding the BPSC examination reached the state's highest Constitutional office with Governor Arif Mohammad Khan assuring justice to a delegation of candidates who called on him on January 13. Khan assured justice to the protesting candidates within the framework of the Constitution.
The development followed a meeting between a 12-member delegation of candidates and Jan Suraaj Party President Manoj Bharti with the Governor. Subhash Kumar, one of the delegation members, submitted the demands of the candidates, highlighting irregularities in the BPSC examination process and the subsequent actions by the authorities. The Governor listened to the delegation attentively for 45 minutes, taking note of their concerns about fairness, transparency, and the alleged mishandling of the examination process.
