Governor urged Kishor to end fast, claim party delegates after meeting Khan

An 11-member delegation of protesting exam aspirants, along with Jan Suraaj Party president Manoj Bharti, visited Raj Bhavan hours after Kishor told media that Khan has offered to intervene in matter

Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has urged Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor to end his fast unto death and not make it conditional on the resolution of the BPSC examination row, party claimed on Monday.

An 11-member delegation of protesting exam aspirants, along with Jan Suraaj Party president Manoj Bharti, visited Raj Bhavan hours after Kishor told the media that Khan has offered to intervene in the matter.

Emerging from Raj Bhavan, Bharti let Subhash, one of the 11 delegates, speak to the posse of journalists.

"The governor listened to us patiently for close to 45 minutes. He gave us the assurance that our concerns will be conveyed to authorities concerned," Subhash said  "However, the governor looked extremely concerned over the fast which has been going on for 12 days. The governor asked us to request Kishor, on his behalf, to call off the fast which may result in serious health problems," he said.

According to Subhas, Khan said that Kishor's fast and the demands of the aspirants should be kept separate.

The governor said Kishor should give up his insistence on remaining without food. The governor, on his part, will write a letter to the official concerned, on the students' demand, in a manner that was constitutionally appropriate," Subhash added.

Notably, Kishor, who recently spent a week in hospital, had made it clear earlier in the day that his fast unto death which began on January 2 will continue, in a virtual rebuff to party colleagues who have asked him to discontinue the hunger strike in view of the matter now reaching the Patna High Court.

The court has fixed January 15 as the date of hearing on a petition filed by students who are being provided with "pro bono (voluntary) legal assistance" by the Jan Suraaj Party.

At the heart of the controversy is the Combined Competitive Examination held on December 13 when many candidates at the Bapu Pariksha Parisar centre here boycotted the test alleging that question papers had been leaked.

The BPSC, while strongly denying the allegation, ordered re-examination for more than 10,000 candidates who had been assigned to the aforesaid exam centre.

However, the protesting candidates contend that the BPSC did not take into account "irregularities" at other places during the exam, which was held at over 900 centres across the state.

The protesters, who have received support from all political players opposed to the state's ruling NDA, also claim that re-examination for a select group of candidates deprived others of a "level playing field".