Neha Bora to join Ranchi protest, says students' movement not selective

AISA national president Neha Bora said she will join the August 7 Assembly march in Ranchi amid questions over her absence from the JPSC-JSSC protests. She said AISA has backed the agitation from the start and urged Chief Minister Hemant Soren to hold talks with students.Amid questions over her absence from the ongoing student protests against alleged JPSC-JSSC recruitment irregularities in Ranchi, All India Students' Association (AISA) National President Neha Bora has said she will join the Assembly march on August 7 and rejected allegations of maintaining a "selective presence" in student movements.Speaking to India Today sister site Aajtak.in, Bora said AISA has been actively involved in the Ranchi agitation since its inception and accused the BJP and its student wing, the ABVP, of being absent during last year's nationwide protests over examination irregularities.'I AM REACHING RANCHI ON AUGUST 7'Responding to criticism over not being seen at Jaipal Singh Munda Park, where students have been protesting since April 29, Bora said she would be arriving in Ranchi to participate in the Assembly march called by students."I am a student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the National President of AISA. People are asking why I wasn't seen in Ranchi. The answer is simple: I am reaching Ranchi to participate in the Assembly march on August 7. This is an AISA-led call and has nothing to do with the separate programme being organised by the BJP," she said. She added that AISA activists have been stationed at Jaipal Singh Munda Park since the first day of the agitation, working in shifts and supporting the protesting students.COUNTERS BJP, ABVP OVER CRITICISMHitting back at critics, Bora questioned the role of the BJP and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) during protests over alleged irregularities in national-level examinations such as NEET-UG and UGC-NET. She said those questioning her absence should instead ask where the BJP and ABVP were when students across the country staged hunger strikes and demonstrations at Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding transparent recruitment and action against paper leaks."If they claim to stand with students in Jharkhand today, why were they absent from that national protest? It is the BJP and ABVP—not AISA—that have shown opportunistic behaviour," she alleged.BACKS RANCHI STUDENTS' DEMANDSBora said AISA fully supports the ongoing agitation against alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations.She said the movement is aimed at ensuring transparent examinations, fair recruitment and justice for lakhs of job aspirants in Jharkhand.According to Bora, the students are demanding the cancellation and re-conduct of the 14th JPSC Preliminary Test (PT), the early conduct of pending JSSC examinations, immediate declaration of JPSC JET results, an end to outsourcing examinations to private agencies, a transparent government-run examination system, and the release of a fixed annual recruitment calendar.Bora also urged the Jharkhand government to initiate dialogue with the protesting students.She said Chief Minister Hemant Soren should meet the aspirants and address their concerns, adding that the future of students cannot be compromised because of administrative failures or alleged corruption in the recruitment process."As the National President of AISA, I am personally travelling to Ranchi to express solidarity with this democratic movement. AISA stands firmly with the legitimate demands of the students," she said.- EndsPublished By: Rishab ChauhanPublished On: Aug 6, 2026 20:10 IST