25 August,2026 01:13 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rahul Gandhi. File pic
The BJP has hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis concerning the grievances of tribal students, asking him to first examine the functioning of tribal welfare departments and hostels in Congress-ruled Telangana and Karnataka.
The Maharashtra BJP accused Gandhi of following a pattern of "doing wrong first, then creating noise when action is taken" and said the state government was capable of protecting the interests of tribal communities and students.
The ruling party also alleged that some tribal schools in Maharashtra where students have been protesting are run by Congress leaders and accused Gandhi of attempting to shield them.
In a post on X late Monday night, the Maharashtra BJP said Gandhi should examine the functioning of tribal welfare departments and hostels in Telangana and Karnataka, where the Congress is in power, before raising concerns about Maharashtra.
"Rahul Gandhi, we don't expect fair or well-researched views from you, but here are some facts the public should know," the party said.
The BJP alleged that tribal schools in Maharashtra against which students have raised concerns are run by Congress leaders.
"A few days ago, three young girls died at a school whose director, Marotrao Kowase, is a former Congress MP. His son, Vishwajeet Kowase, is the Gadchiroli District Congress Committee president and the school's secretary," it claimed.
The allegations come amid a political exchange over the conditions in tribal-run educational institutions and government hostels across Maharashtra.
The BJP also referred to an inspection at an ashram school, or residential school, in Yavatmal, where it alleged that bathrooms meant for girls did not have doors.
The party claimed that the school is run by Vasant Purke, a former minister and Congress leader.
"When Congress was in power, it wrongly took control of these schools and misused them," the BJP alleged, accusing Congress leaders of exploiting tribal communities.
The ruling party said attempts to prevent action against leaders associated with the institutions would not succeed.
The allegations made by the BJP are part of the wider political dispute over the management of tribal educational institutions and the conditions in which students are studying and living.
Gandhi had on Monday written to Fadnavis urging him to look into the problems faced by tribal students in Maharashtra who have been on hunger strike for the last 10 days.
The Congress leader said the students were protesting against an age limit and alleged "humiliating rules" in state-run hostels. He also asked the Chief Minister to meet the protesting students personally and resolve their concerns at the earliest.
One of the issues raised by Gandhi was the reported 30-year age limit for students staying in government hostels. He also referred to concerns over hostel safety and alleged rules affecting female students.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, "During the ''Chhatron ki Goonj'' event in Pune, female students shared that hostels enforce an unnecessary age limit of 30 years, humiliating rules, unsafe facilities, and inhuman provisions such as pregnancy checks for women."
Gandhi also said the students were seeking their rights rather than government charity and urged Fadnavis to engage with them directly.
"These students, coming from remote villages and towns, are not asking for charity -- they are demanding their rightful entitlements. It is expected that you (Fadnavis) will meet them personally and immediately resolve their issues," Gandhi said while sharing a memorandum from students along with his letter.
The Maharashtra BJP's response has shifted the focus from the students' immediate demands to the functioning of tribal schools and institutions linked to political leaders.
While Gandhi has called on the Maharashtra government to address the grievances of protesting students, the BJP has argued that Congress leaders should first examine institutions and tribal welfare systems in states governed by their own party.
(With inputs from PTI)
