Patna (Bihar) [India], August 19 (ANI): Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday said the government will have to bow down as police used water cannon to disperse protesters during a foot march towards Lok Bhavan in Patna.
Tejashwi Yadav led the foot march with RJD leaders and supporters, raising concerns over alleged examination paper leaks, unemployment and the future of students and young people in the state.
Yadav said, "The public has awakened and is on the streets. The government will have to bow down. Such actions will not work."
RJD MP Misa Bharti, who also joined the march, questioned the use of an AK-47 during a student protest and alleged that the Bihar government was "killing the future" of students in the state.
Speaking to ANI, Bharti said, "We have heard that the Bihar government in the Supreme Court has admitted that the AK-47 was used (against students). The Bihar govt should have been asked by the court who permitted the use of AK-47 in a protest. If the DM gave permission, he should be suspended. This Bihar govt is killing the future of students of Bihar."
The march comes amid a controversy over the use of an AK-47 rifle during a student protest in Siwan. The Bihar government told the Supreme Court that a police constable had fired four rounds from an AK-47 into the air after being trapped in a crowd, while maintaining that no protester was injured by the firing. The constable has been suspended.
Meanwhile, RJD MP Manoj Jha, who participated in the foot march, said students and youth across the country, particularly in Bihar, were angry over recurring paper leaks and unemployment.
Speaking to ANI, Jha said, "Students and youth across the country, especially in Bihar, are angry. Paper leaks have become a pattern. Young people can no longer bear the burden of unemployment. They do not want rhetoric; they want solutions," Jha said.
RJD MLA Alok Kumar Mehta said the party was marching with students and youth to submit a memorandum to the Governor highlighting their concerns, including the issue of paper leaks.
"It is our right, and when the government does not listen, the Governor is the constitutional custodian of the state. Under the senior leadership, we are going with the youth and students of Bihar. We will submit a memorandum to the Governor regarding students' problems, including the paper leak issue," Mehta said. (ANI)
"The public has awakened": Tejashwi Yadav as police use water cannon during RJD march to Raj Bhavan
