Stop clamping down on students, meet their demands immediately: Cong on NEET row

Nagpur, July 23 (IANS) Congress Legislature Party leader, Vijay Wadettiwar, on Thursday launched a fiery attack on the Maharashtra government over the ongoing student agitations over NEET paper leaks, slamming the administration for lathi-charging peaceful student protesters and threatening to plant narcotics on them.

Wadettiwar emphasised that the future of students is a deeply serious issue, asserting that the government must address their legitimate demands with empathy.

He stated that using force to suppress the voices of students engaged in peaceful protests is a direct blow to democratic values.

“The motto of the Maharashtra Police is ‘Sadrashanay Khalanigrahanay’ (To protect the good and punish the evil). Yet, police officers themselves are threatening to plant 50 grams of drugs on student protesters,” Wadettiwar remarked.

“It seems the time has come to protect citizens from the police itself. Where did the police get these narcotics to threaten students in the first place?” he questioned while addressing media.

Highlighting that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also voiced strong support for student issues, Wadettiwar noted that the party has launched statewide demonstrations, with parents joining the protests down to the taluka level.

He urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government and the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led state administration to listen to public sentiment and take constructive steps toward resolving the students’ grievances. Instead of initiating dialogue, he alleged, the government is trying to brutally crush the movement.

Addressing the issue of paper leaks, Wadettiwar pointed out that multiple competitive examination papers have leaked over the last decade, jeopardizing the futures of lakhs of aspiring students.

He emphasised that maintaining transparency and credibility in examination procedures is the primary duty of the government, advising the ruling administration to accept its failures and implement reforms rather than shifting blame onto the Opposition.

Turning to the crisis facing farmers, the Congress leader criticized the Maharashtra government for inflating figures regarding farm loan waivers. He claimed that chaotic waiver lists have exposed how farmers are being cheated, demanding immediate transparency from the administration on the matter.

Earlier, Maharashtra Congress party leaders took an aggressive stance on Wednesday launching a major protest against the BJP to condemn the lathi charge on protesting students against NEET paper leaks and also the unacceptable treatment meted out to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, and other Congress MPs.

The Congress organised a protest march from Gandhi Bhavan heading towards the BJP office situated in South Mumbai.

The party intended to reach the BJP office and present them with a copy of the Constitution; however, police intercepted and detained Congress leaders and office-bearers near Regal Cinema.

Protesters raised strong slogans such as “Modi Hatav, Desh Bachav (Remove Modi, Save the Country)” and “Jab jab Modi darta hai, police ko aage karta is (Whenever Modi is scared, he hides behind the police)”.

The protest, led by Congress State President Harshwardhan Sapkal, saw the participation of several office-bearers and prominent leaders, including Legislature Party Leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress Working Committee member and former minister Naseem Khan, MLA Bhai Jagtap, former MP Bhalchandra Mungekar, former MP Husain Dalwai and senior social activist Tushar Gandhi among others.

Sapkal alleged that the incompetence of the Modi government regarding the NEET question paper leak and ongoing examination irregularities has plunged the futures of lakhs of students across the country into darkness.

Outraged students took to the streets, only to face a brutal police lathi charge, water cannons and tear gas directed by the Modi-Shah administration.

He remarked that democratic and constitutional values have been sidelined for the past 12 years. He stated that PM Modi misled the youth with unfulfilled promises of creating two crore jobs every year, noting that beyond the lack of employment, even examinations were not being conducted properly.

–IANS

sj/rad