Mumbai: NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar on Saturday alleged that the BJP appeared to be scared of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, claiming that attempts were on by the ruling party to disrupt the grand old party's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' student interaction programme in Pune.
He also accused the BJP of targeting workers of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), a student wing of the Congress, while allegedly allowing those who threatened and confined female students in Pune to go scot-free.
Gandhi is scheduled to address the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event at SSPMS Ground in Pune city on Saturday evening.
On Friday, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the NSUI clashed at the COEP Technological University hostel campus. Following the clash. the police on Saturday registered a case against 50 to 60 Youth Congress workers.
In a statement, Rohit Pawar alleged that "BJP's hired goons" who had allegedly locked up and threatened female students were roaming free, while cases were being registered against NSUI workers to harass them.
He said students had historically played a key role in fighting oppression, and warned that attempts to harass them would only strengthen their resistance.
"The more students are harassed, the stronger their resistance will become," he said, adding that the BJP would have to face the consequences.
The MLA from Karjat Jamkhed assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar district said the BJP appeared to be "scared" of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that BJP workers had started intimidating and confining women students even before Gandhi arrived in Pune for the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme.
He strongly condemned the alleged clash, and said students and NSUI workers had confronted those involved.
Pawar alleged that there was also an attempt to send some people into the programme to disrupt it.
He questioned whether such tactics, which he described as "dirty politics" in the name of "Chanakya niti", suited BJP leaders.
Alleging that BJP workers had used force against students along with the Delhi Police during protests in Delhi. He warned that any attempt to repeat such incidents in Maharashtra would "backfire" on those responsible.
He said he expected the Pune Police to prevent any such infiltration or disruption, but warned that if anyone tried to create trouble, students would oppose them.
Responding to Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule's criticism of Rahul Gandhi's politics as "nautanki" (drama), Pawar said the Congress MP's actions should instead be described as fearlessly raising the voice of truth and justice against what he called a dictatorial government and listening to the "voice of the people".
Pawar alleged that the BJP indulged in several acts amounting to "nautanki", including seeking of votes in the name of Lord Ram and then allegedly misusing the Ram temple, making investment agreements during visits to Davos, announcing a "deceptive" farm loan-waiver package, promising to deposit Rs 15 lakh into every person's bank account, seeking 60 days after demonetisation to eliminate black money, and allegedly misleading women beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin scheme before the elections and later declaring them ineligible.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
