Mumbai: Rayat Kranti Sanghatana president Sadabhau Khot on Tuesday created a controversy after he referred to the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protesters as “terrorists.”
He rejected the demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, stating that the government should under no circumstances accept it.
Khot said there was chaos due to paper leaks and alleged a conspiracy behind it. He claimed culprits had been caught and investigations were underway.
“Dharmendra Pradhan has no direct connection to this; he pursued the matter and ordered an investigation. However, the INDIA Alliance and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are trying to create a terror-like situation. The government should not accept the Education Minister’s resignation at all. We have Narendra at the Centre, Devendra in the State, and Dharmendra in Education. The government should answer these terrorists through democratic means,” he said.
Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar sharply criticised Khot for terming the protesters terrorists. He said Khot had betrayed farmers in his pursuit of power and now considered students fighting for justice as terrorists.
“In Delhi and across the country, youth have taken to the streets against the paper leak. Violent attacks are being carried out on them. If this youth still seems like terrorists to you, we pity your power-hungry nature,” Wadettiwar said.
Shiv Sena MLA Bacchu Kadu advised Khot to retract his statement.
“Sadabhau Khot’s statement is completely wrong. He needs to correct his statement and withdraw it immediately. Agitation and protest have been the soul of this country; our nation gained independence through agitation,” Kadu said.
State Minister Shambhuraj Desai said everyone has the right to protest in a democracy, but violence and stone-pelting are unacceptable. “Protesters cannot be called terrorists. Even though they are students, resorting to stone-pelting is not right,” he said.
Shetkari Sanghatana founder Raju Shetti also condemned Khot’s statement. He alleged that people involved in paper leak cases were closely associated with the RSS and BJP.
“Students are simply demanding an end to malpractices. Pradhan should resign on moral grounds; if not, then PM Modi should resign,” Shetti said.
Social activist Anjali Damania remarked that Khot’s statement reflected arrogance of power.
“A person who doesn’t even know the meaning of the word ‘education’ and who has forgotten the spirit of agitation shouldn’t even be interviewed for a reaction,” she said.
The protest organised by the CJP at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar took a violent turn on Monday. The CJP had issued a call to march towards Parliament. Delhi Police resorted to a lathi charge on the protesters, leaving several severely injured.
Following the incident, political tension has escalated across the country, prompting strong and contrasting reactions from political circles in Maharashtra.
(IANS)
