Students protesting against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in Jharkhand on Thursday said they were ready to hold talks with the state government but insisted that any dialogue with Chief Minister Hemant Soren should take place in the presence of the media instead of behind closed doors.The protest, centred on alleged irregularities in the JPSC, JSSC CGL and other competitive examinations, continued in Ranchi even as the state government expressed its willingness to engage with the agitating students.One of the protesters said a meeting held on Wednesday night had decided that a delegation would meet the government, although the timing of the talks was yet to be finalised.”If the Chief Minister comes out to speak with us publicly in front of the media on an open platform, a proper resolution could be reached. Earlier, our representatives were taken into a closed room, and nothing came out of it,” the protester alleged.Another protester said the students had agreed to send a four- or five-member delegation but opposed closed-door discussions.”The Chief Minister should listen to the students’ demands in front of the press and media. For the last 26 years in Jharkhand, students’ issues have been heard in closed rooms, and the files have remained closed forever,” the protester said.Student leader Ravindra Paswan said the protesters had responded positively after receiving a message from the government through the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO).”The government has expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue, and we have also conveyed our willingness. Dialogue is essential in a democratic country,” Paswan said.He said the students had placed two conditions before the government: the talks should be held directly with Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and at least two media representatives should be present during the discussions.According to Paswan, the SDO asked the students to submit the names of their delegation members before 10 am, after which the date and time of the meeting would be communicated.Meanwhile, Jharkhand Minister Irfan Ansari said the government had “opened the door for dialogue” and would consider the students’ demands if they were reasonable.Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh said the government had formed a committee and conveyed its readiness for talks, urging students to finalise their delegation.However, Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore clarified that the ministers’ group had been constituted only to monitor the agitation and not to conduct formal negotiations.”The government and the Chief Minister are sensitive to the students’ concerns and will act in their interests. It is now up to the students to decide when and how they wish to engage in dialogue with the government,” Kishore said.