Pune: Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday said there was anger among the youth across the country against those in power, and alleged that there was a conspiracy to disrupt party MP Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Pune.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, is scheduled to hold an interactive session with female students at the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ here on Saturday evening.
Addressing a press conference here hours before the event, Khera said the response to the programme had rattled the state government.
“There is anger among the youth not only in Pune and Maharashtra but across the country, and history has shown that when the youth become angry, they bring about change,” he said.
“The storm of youth anger is clearly resonating in Pune. Those in power feel threatened when a young woman raises her voice. Trolls are unleashed against her, comments are made about her clothes and her character is attacked,” Khera alleged.
He said the mindset of the ruling establishment was to confine women and young female students to their homes and prevent them from participating in decision-making.
“We saw this mindset during the passage of the women’s reservation bill. Even today, despite the bill being passed, its implementation is being delayed in the name of delimitation and the census,” he said.
On Friday, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) clashed at the COEP Technological University hostel campus ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s event.
While ABVP members claimed that Congress workers were forcing female students of the College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) to register for the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event, Congress leaders claimed that two female students, who had spoken in support of the event, were confined and threatened inside the hostel by ABVP workers.
Following the clash, the police on Saturday registered a case against 50 to 60 Youth Congress workers.
Referring to the alleged ruckus, Khera alleged that ABVP workers had entered the girls’ hostel and intimidated students.
“Just last night, the RSS-BJP showed its real face when the goons of ABVP barged into the COEP hostel and intimidated the girls. They are sending a message that women should not venture out and that their place is inside the house. This is precisely why the theme of ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ is relevant, as Rahul Gandhi is raising the issues concerning students at the right time,” he said.
Khera alleged that a conspiracy had been underway for several days to disrupt the programme.
“Students from Pune and Maharashtra had specific concerns. Funds meant for their scholarships are being diverted, and some female students wanted to raise this issue with Rahul Gandhi. This angered the government and ABVP. These girls were identified, and ABVP workers allegedly entered the girls’ hostel and resorted to intimidation,” he alleged.
He claimed that students were forced to record apology videos after the incident.
The girl students from COEP Technical University had raised an issue of scholarship during a news bite but later apologised to the college.
“These girls reached out to our volunteers saying they were under attack. Why were they threatened and forced to record such videos? This is an example of male ego,” he said.
He further alleged that hundreds of ABVP workers attacked girls inside the hostel and also assaulted Youth Congress workers, describing the incident as an example of “BJP’s misrule” in Maharashtra and the country.
“The theme of women and ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ was brought forward in Pune because in a revolutionary step, Savitribai Phule laid the foundation for women’s education in this city.
People in the country are talking about Viksit Bharat but how will India become developed if 50 per cent of the nation’s population is prevented from participating in this journey of progress?” Khera asked.
