Congress leader cites Anna stir in a retort to Fadnavis’ remarks on protesting students

Maharashtra State Congress Committee President Harshvardhan Sapkal criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his statement about the Jantar Mantar protest describing the protestors as faceless, leaderless and lawless.

Interacting with media persons here on Tuesday, Fadnavis said while many people participating in the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) agitation had genuine concerns, many other elements had infiltrated the protests for their own vested interests. “In a democracy, everyone has the right to protest. If a protest is held peacefully and with due permission, it will be allowed. Such agitations are the democratic right of every citizen. However, whenever there is a protest, it tends to become ‘faceless,’ and elements with ulterior motives infiltrate it. These elements take advantage of the protest, using it as a shield to fulfill their own selfish interests,” he added.

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In this context, he cited protests in Delhi that several political parties tried to capitalise on. He said various organizations, which had nothing to do with the core issue, attempted to create unrest. “When an agitation becomes leaderless, as seen in Delhi, it creates a lawless environment. We witnessed vehicle glass being smashed, cars being overturned and stone-pelting directed at the police,” he stated.

Calling Fadnavis’ claim that these protests are driven by the agenda of certain political parties highly irresponsible and shameless claim, Sapkal reminded the chief minister that it was the BJP and the RSS who pursued a political agenda and created instability in the country under the guise of the Anna Hazare movement in Delhi in 2014. Those with such a mindset are the ones who see only a political agenda behind students’ protests”.

“The NEET question paper leak and the gross mismanagement in the CBSE and NEET examination systems have devastated the future of millions of students. The entire country is witnessing protests, with thousands of students taking to the streets. The Constitution guarantees citizens the right to protest peacefully in a democratic manner. However, those who do not believe in the Constitution can never understand the importance of democratic protests,” he said.