Ranchi, Jharkhand (PTI): Rahul Gandhi and the Congress stood firmly behind the job aspirants protesting alleged irregularities in Jharkhand's recruitment exams, the party's state in-charge K Raju said on Monday and appealed to Chief Minister Hemant Soren to resolve the issue soon.

This came as students protesting against the alleged irregularities for 24 days now accused the ruling JMM-Congress alliance of "failing to take concrete action" on their demands for reforms in the recruitment exam system.

They have also demanded that the Congress withdraw its support from the JMM-led government if the chief minister fails to act on their concerns.

Raju said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written to Jharkhand Chief Minister Soren, urging him to meet the representatives of protesting students to redress their concerns.

"Gandhi wrote to Soren on August 14 and appreciated that the Jharkhand government has initiated a dialogue with the students through a committee instituted by the chief minister and has reached an agreement on several of their demands," he said at a press conference here.

Raju expressed hope that the meeting would help resolve the students' concerns.

In his letter to Soren, Gandhi said the youth of India is its future and asserted that "we owe them our solidarity and support at this moment of crisis".

"The Congress party believes that the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in the Constitution of India is one of the central pillars of our democracy. We have, therefore, offered our full support to students protesting paper leaks and irregularities in the education system over the last few months," the Leader of Opposition said in his letter.

Pointing out that the protesters' demands were legitimate, Gandhi appreciated the Jharkhand government's move to initiate talks with the agitators.

"I am writing to suggest that you personally meet with representatives of the protesting students. This will help reinforce the government's commitment to resolve their remaining concerns," the former Congress chief said in his letter to Soren.

The Jharkhand government committee will hold fresh talks with a delegation of protesters led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch at 2 pm on Monday.

It will be the seventh round of talks between the government and the agitating students. The previous rounds failed to yield any breakthrough.

At the press conference, Raju criticised the Centre over the passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament, alleging that it was done without holding any discussion with states.

"This will impact states' finances, as they will not be able to impose cess on mining activities. The state's welfare schemes may get affected," he added.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.