New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, urging him to personally meet representatives of protesting students and take appropriate action towards the resolution of the issue.

Gandhi said the students' protest had been peaceful and their demands legitimate, while asserting that the youth of India was its future and "we owe them our solidarity and support at this moment of crisis".

The Congress is part of the ruling JMM-led government in Jharkhand.

In his letter to Soren dated August 14, Gandhi said that the Congress party believes that the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in the Constitution of India is one of the central pillars of India's 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 the Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

"It is also our belief that the Indian education system has been captured by the RSS and BJP and transformed into a tool for the exploitation and oppression of students. It is no longer the robust knowledge system that it used to be a decade ago," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader said he appreciated that the Jharkhand government has initiated a dialogue with the students through a committee set up by the chief minister and that there was agreement on several of their demands. However, he noted that the protests continued and some students remained on indefinite hunger strike.

"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.

"Please do your utmost to hear them out and take appropriate action towards the resolution of this issue," Gandhi said.

Led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, the protesters are demanding a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in recruitment exams and the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination.

The protesters have accused the ruling JMM-Congress alliance of "failing to take tangible action" on their demands, and alleged that the government was playing politics over issues concerning the future of job aspirants.

The agitators had on Saturday announced that they would gherao the chief minister's residence on August 20, and appealed to students from across Jharkhand to assemble in Ranchi for the demonstration.

The Jharkhand government has sought to reassure the job aspirants by announcing measures aimed at making the recruitment process more transparent and secure.

The measures outlined by the government include a time-bound annual examination calendar, technology-secured examinations, timely publication of answer keys and OMR sheets, and multi-level accountability in the recruitment process.

The government has also launched a campaign to seek suggestions from students, teachers, educationists and parents on reforms in the examination system.