Mumbai, July 22: Maharashtra Congress leaders staged a protest on Wednesday against the police action on students demonstrating over the NEET paper leak. They also condemned the treatment of Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, in the Lok Sabha.
The Congress organized a march from Gandhi Bhavan to the BJP office in South Mumbai. The aim was to deliver a copy of the Constitution to the BJP office, but police detained Congress leaders and officials near Regal Cinema. Protesters chanted various slogans during the demonstration.
Led by Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal, the protest included prominent leaders such as Legislative Party Leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress Working Committee member and former minister Naseem Khan, MLA Bhai Jagatap, former MPs Bhalchandra Mungekar and Hussain Dalwai, and social activist Tushar Gandhi.
Sapkal accused the government of incompetence regarding the NEET paper leak and irregularities in the exam, which he claimed have jeopardized the futures of millions of students. He stated that when angry students took to the streets, they were met with brutal police action.
He highlighted that democratic and constitutional values have been sidelined for the past 12 years. Sapkal criticized Prime Minister Modi for misleading youth with promises of two crore jobs annually, stating that not only is there a lack of employment, but exams are also poorly organized.
Sapkal noted that Rahul Gandhi had called for a discussion on exam reforms and the paper leak issue in Parliament, but the government ignored it. He alleged that the paper leak issue is not limited to this year’s NEET exam, as several exams have faced similar problems.
To amplify the voices of affected students, the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi launched the ‘Students’ Echo’ campaign. Sapkal mentioned that thousands of students gathered in Delhi to protest against the administration, but police used excessive force against them, including both male and female students.
He recounted that when Rahul Gandhi attempted to protest near the Prime Minister’s residence in support of the students’ demands, he and other Congress leaders were detained for three hours. Sapkal labeled these actions as dictatorial.
He further demanded that Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah publicly apologize for the police actions and treatment of students in Delhi. Key demands from Congress include the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, an urgent discussion in Parliament on exam irregularities, and the withdrawal of all FIRs and cases against protesting students.
Sapkal asserted that this struggle will continue, with future strategies to be discussed with leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Regarding the Maharashtra bandh called by the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi on Thursday, Sapkal confirmed that Congress supports the bandh.
When asked about the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Sharad Pawar, Sapkal stated that only Sharad Pawar and his party leaders could comment on that matter.
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