Mumbai, July 17: Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal criticized the central government on Friday, questioning why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has yet to meet social activist Sonam Wangchuk from Ladakh. Wangchuk has expressed concerns regarding the NEET paper leak, echoing the sentiments raised by Congress.
Speaking to the media, Sapkal firmly defended his party’s stance and demanded the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He highlighted the government’s indifference, particularly in response to Rahul Gandhi’s inquiry about meeting Wangchuk.
Sapkal noted that Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike for the past 20 days over the NEET paper leak scandal. He reminded journalists that during Wangchuk’s previous protests for constitutional safeguards in Ladakh, the BJP government detained him under the National Security Act (NSA).
He stated, “The Prime Minister did not mention the NEET issue even once in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address.” He deemed attempts to link Congress with Wangchuk as misleading.
Furthermore, Sapkal revealed that Rahul Gandhi has initiated a nationwide campaign called “Students’ Echo,” demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister.
Discussing the invitation extended by Shiv Sena (UBT) to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat for their upcoming Ram Raksha Movement, Sapkal directly attacked the religious credibility of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra.
He remarked, “The BJP and RSS follow a policy of ‘chanting Ram’s name while seizing others’ property.’ Those directly appointed by the Modi government are involved in the significant theft at the Ayodhya Ram Temple. The BJP and RSS remain silent on this matter.”
Rejecting the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to investigate the Ayodhya temple theft, he labeled it a puppet of the BJP government, asserting that it would never apprehend the real culprits.
He challenged the Chief Minister and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat to accept the invitation and participate in Uddhav Thackeray’s Ram Raksha program if they have the courage.
Regarding ongoing rumors about internal strife within the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), he downplayed their significance. He stated that top leaders of NCP-SP, including Jayant Patil and MP Supriya Sule, have already clarified their party’s strong position, urging the media to rely on their official statements rather than rumors.
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