PUNE: Pune mayor Manjusha Nagpure on Tuesday challenged NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar to go ahead with his proposed Pune bandh over the ongoing MPSC students’ agitation, after Pawar warned that the city could be shut down if the state government failed to act on MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar’s resignation.
Pawar, who has backed the agitation by MPSC aspirants, claimed that Bhimanwar submitted his resignation to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis two days ago and alleged that the government had failed to decide on it. She added that she would not remain a silent spectator if citizens were inconvenienced and would take to the streets against such a move. He alleged that by submitting it to Fadnavis, the MPSC chairman had effectively left the decision on his resignation with the chief minister.
Because of his personal equation with the MPSC chairman, pawar also alleged that Fadnavis was reluctant to accept Bhimanwar’s resignation.
“If a decision is not taken, Pune will be shut down,” Pawar said on Tuesday while addressing the demands of the protesting aspirants. Nagpure, however, accused politicians of politicising the students’ agitation and pursuing their “hidden agenda”. Challenging Pawar, she said, “Shut down Pune and show it. Pawar said Bhimanwar should have submitted his resignation to the governor, not the chief minister. “The issue has now become one of ego and friendship, while the future of lakhs of students is at stake,” he said. Pawar said the government now had an opportunity to resolve the issue by deciding on Bhimanwar’s resignation. He also said that if the government failed to act, students could either enforce a Pune bandh or march to Mantralaya.
He said the issue could come up before the state cabinet on Tuesday.
“If the cabinet takes a decision, it is fine.
Otherwise, the students will decide the next course of action,” Pawar said.
