Patna: Ahead of July 30 polling for Bankipur assembly seat, RJD national working president Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Tuesday promised pension to all students and youths who were injured or jailed during the recent students’ protest over alleged NEET paper leak.Observers said the move is aimed at wooing the large youth community.Tejashwi made this promise just before starting a roadshow in support of Grand Alliance-backed RJD candidate Rekha Gupta for the assembly byelection. “Just as the govt provides pensions to ‘JP Senanis’, our govt will provide pensions as well as govt jobs to students who suffered injuries, faced FIRs, and imprisonment during the recent agitation,” Tejashwi told reporters here on Tuesday.What he meant by ‘JP Senanis’ are the political activists who were imprisoned during the Emergency for supporting socialist leader Jaya Prakash Narayan’s movement that began in 1974. Right now, the pension for ‘JP senanis’, who had spent more than six months behind the bar has been raised to Rs30,000 per month while those who served shorter prison terms are currently getting Rs15,000.According to Bihar police, a total of 694 people were detained across the state during the Bihar bandh on July 25. Of them, 339 were minors while 335 youths were produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.Tejashwi said there is a tremendous anger against the BJP among the youth. “We are confident of winning the election. Our workers are fully engaged, and we are continuously receiving the people’s support,” he said. Further he claimed the growing unpopularity in the wake of recent students’ protest forced the state govt to order withdrawal of cases against the demonstrators and the release of those arrested in this connection.The Bihar govt on Monday announced that it will withdraw all cases lodged against protesters and release those jailed under various charges.
