The Meghalaya unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has condemned the alleged police action against student protesters in Ranchi, accusing the Congress-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Government of suppressing a peaceful democratic movement, even as the State BJP continues to remain mum on the controversy surrounding its youth leader Mewaker Lyngdoh Pakma, who had called for student protesters in New Delhi to be shot. State BJP general secretary Wankitbok Pohshna, while strongly condemning the alleged use of force against students in Jharkhand, declined to dwell on the controversial social media post by Pakma and instead urged that Parliament be allowed to function. “Let the parliament function, let us concentrate on that because the country needs to debate on major issue, this is a small issue,” general secretary Wankitbok Pohshna said when asked about the controversy in which Mewaker Lyngdoh Pakma, the BJP Youth Wing (BJYM) President for Meghalaya, called for student protesters in New Delhi to be shot.
Pakma had shared a video of student demonstrations at Jantar Mantar on his social media account with the caption, “Shoot them! Tear gas ain’t enough!” alongside the hashtag #UAPA_Sedition. The post was later deleted, following which the State BJP claimed that the account had been hacked “for few second”. No FIR was filed by the party over the post, which drew widespread criticism in Meghalaya.
“I am not aware….,” he added
The controversy has continued to hang over the State BJP even as the party has mounted a strong attack on the Congress-JMM Government over the handling of student protests in Jharkhand.
Pohshna sought to move beyond the controversy involving Pakma, saying, “In the protest many people made so many unwanted statment, so let’s not talking about what has happened, let us look at what we can do now. Let the parliament function so that the youth and the future of the country is secured.” “let parliament function, let us not speak on streets,” he added.
The Meghalaya BJP general secretary also said political leaders should exercise greater caution over their personal social media accounts. “As political leaders we should be diligent enough what we do in the day to day lives, we request anybody holding important position to kindly moniter their personal accounts, because now a days personal account can be hacked,” Pohshna said.
Meanwhile, the State BJP sharply criticised the alleged police action against students in Ranchi, describing it as an assault on democratic rights. Pohshna said, “Whatever has transpired on the streets of Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, has utterly shamed the democratic fabric and humanity of this entire nation.”
“The sheer brutality with which the corrupt ‘Thug-bandhan’ (alliance of thugs) government of the Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has rained batons on unarmed, innocent students peacefully protesting for their education rights and employment opportunities is highly unfortunate. No amount of condemnation is enough for this heinous and barbaric act,” he said.
The BJP alleged that barbed wires were placed along the route of the protesting students and that tear gas shells, lathi-charge and water cannons were used to disperse them. It also referred to complaints by some students that the clothes of female protesters were allegedly torn during the confrontation, and questioned the Congress leadership over its response to the incident.
Pohshna accused the Congress-JMM Government of using the protests for political purposes and said the BJP stood with the students of Jharkhand. He also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he had adopted different positions on student protests depending on the political circumstances.
“Rahul Gandhi, you are quick to play politics over the protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, but why are you completely deaf to the screams of the students in Jharkhand? Where is Rahul Gandhi’s sympathy now? Why doesn’t Rahul Gandhi, who shows fake sympathy in Delhi, go to wipe the tears of the students in Jharkhand?” Pohshna said.
The Meghalaya BJP leader further accused Gandhi of repeatedly shifting his demands in Parliament, alleging that the Congress had moved from seeking the resignation of the Education Minister to demanding a discussion on NEET and subsequently seeking a statement from the Union Home Minister on the Jantar Mantar incident.
He alleged that the Opposition’s continued disruption of Parliament was preventing a substantive debate on issues concerning the country’s youth. Pohshna said the Government should be given an opportunity to respond on the floor of the House rather than having political disputes play out on the streets.
The State BJP’s position, however, leaves unanswered questions over the controversy involving Pakma, particularly the party’s explanation that his social media account had been hacked for “few second”.
