Opposition leaders on Friday intensified their attack on the Centre over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, accusing the government of ignoring the concerns of millions of students and showing "insensitivity" towards social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MP Supriya Sule visited Wangchuk and youth activist Abhijit Dipke at the protest site, urging Wangchuk to end his 19-day fast due to deteriorating health. However, she said the activist remained firm on his demands, including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and dialogue with the Centre.
Calling Wangchuk "an invaluable asset to the nation", Sule criticised the government for failing to engage with him.
"The government is showing absolute insensitivity. Someone from the ruling side should have reached out to him to initiate a dialogue, but no one bothered to show up. The irregularities in the NEET exam are not isolated incidents; it is a grave injustice against lakhs of innocent students across the country," she said.
Sule said people in her Baramati constituency had supported her decision to stand with Wangchuk and Dipke.
Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal also targeted the BJP-led Centre, questioning why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not met Wangchuk despite his 20-day protest over the NEET controversy.
Sapkal demanded the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging that the paper leak had jeopardised the future of nearly 2.4 million students. He also criticised the Prime Minister for not addressing the issue in his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme and accused the Centre of trying to deflect responsibility by dragging the Congress into the debate.
He added that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched the nationwide 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' campaign to press for Pradhan's resignation.
Referring to Wangchuk's earlier protest for Ladakh's constitutional safeguards, Sapkal alleged that the BJP government had detained him under the National Security Act (NSA), calling it another example of the Centre's apathy.
Addressing other political issues, Sule reiterated the Opposition's objection to the Constitutional Amendment Bill in its present form, saying it requires extensive debate before implementation. She also said discussions on 'One Nation, One Election' are still underway and any debate on a Delimitation Bill would be premature until an official draft is introduced.
Defending her recent meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Sule said public representatives routinely meet leaders across party lines to resolve public issues.
She also dismissed speculation about reconciliation within the Pawar family after the NCP split, saying efforts were made to honour her late brother Ajit Pawar's wish for unity, but the other faction showed no interest.
Meanwhile, Sapkal also criticised the BJP and RSS over the alleged theft at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, accusing them of remaining silent on the issue. He questioned the credibility of the Special Investigation Team probing the case and challenged Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to attend Shiv Sena (UBT)'s upcoming 'Ram Raksha' programme.
Commenting on speculation over internal differences in the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), Sapkal said senior party leaders, including Supriya Sule and Jayant Patil, had already clarified the party's stand and urged the media not to rely on rumours.
