PUNE: A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi backed the agitation by Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday urged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to immediately open a dialogue with the protesters.
“There is unrest among aspirants in Pune, Mumbai and other parts of the state,” he told reporters on Sunday. “The state government needs to engage with the aspirants to end the impasse.”
The MPSC has been under a cloud, with candidates staging a protest in Pune over repeated paper leaks, and opposition parties targeting the Mahayuti government for this. “I am prepared to be a part of the talks if I can help end the deadlock. If the CM and his ministers do not hold a dialogue, the issue will not be resolved. He also called for the chief minister to meet the protesters and find a solution to the stalemate. The state government, meanwhile, has set up a high-level committee to review the existing examination system. Its members are holding discussions with candidates and other stakeholders before submitting their recommendations to the government. They need action and not assurances. The institution that determines students’ future has been hijacked. We will not let it continue. The aspirants have been protesting over several demands, including the removal of MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar and greater transparency in the conduct of examinations. The panel has been holding discussions with candidates and other stakeholders before submitting its recommendations to the government.
“The aspirants are willing to hold talks with the chief minister,” he said. Pawar said that he had called Fadnavis and urged him to immediately look into the matter. Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut too expressed support for the aspirants and said the government should not ignore their demands. “I may be an MLA of the ruling party, but it is necessary to bring the truth out,” he said, adding that he would submit a complaint, along with evidence, to Fadnavis.
I will raise the issue before the Maharashtra government and demand a permanent solution. Earlier reporting noted: “There is unrest among the aspirants in Pune, Mumbai and other parts of the state. Earlier reporting noted: The NCP (SP) chief’s remarks came a day after Gandhi extended his support to the aspirants who have been demanding greater transparency in competitive examinations conducted by the MPSC and administrative reforms in the commission.
On Sunday evening, an opposition leader, the Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut, joined the protesters at the agitation site near S M Joshi Bridge in Pune Pawar said that some of the protesting aspirants had met him and shared their concerns and demands. Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLA Sanjay Gaikwad on Sunday spoke to the media at his office in Buldhana, lambasting the repeated paper leak incidents and alleging serious irregularities in the commission’s functioning. Gandhi on Saturday wrote on X, “The demands of the protestors are not unjust. Earlier reporting noted: A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi backed the agitation by Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants, Nationalist Congress Party/NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar/SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday urged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to immediately open dialogue with the protesting students to resolve the deadlock over their demands. There is a need for the state government to engage with the aspirants to end the impasse,” Pawar told reporters on Sunday.
