21 October,2026 05:24 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra Congress leader Atul Londhe. File pic
Senior Congress Spokesperson Atul Londhe has challenged minister Jaykumar Gore to sit alongside protesting Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants in Pune, offering to pay him Rs 3,000 per day to join their agitation. Londhe has also demanded a public apology from Gore, accusing him of insulting students through his remarks on the protest.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Londhe said MPSC aspirants had staged a 10-day protest in Pune and forced the BJP-led Mahayuti government to yield to their demands. He criticised ministers in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government for what he described as disparaging remarks about the agitation.
Taking aim at Gore, Londhe said, "I will pay minister Jaykumar Gore Rs 3,000 per day if he sits with the students during their protest." He said the minister's remarks amounted to a serious insult to aspirants who had taken to the streets to demand justice.
Londhe accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of being anti-student, alleging that it had failed to address persistent problems concerning government recruitment and competitive examinations in Maharashtra.
He claimed that around 70,000 posts remained vacant and alleged that the government had failed to fill them. He also pointed to disruptions in the MPSC examination schedule and alleged that question paper leaks and irregularities had undermined the examination process.
The Congress spokesperson said students should not have to stage protests lasting 10 days or more to get the government to respond to their concerns. He added that lakhs of students from villages and rural areas across Maharashtra were preparing for MPSC examinations, often with the hope of securing government employment.
Londhe said Gore's remarks had insulted not only these aspirants but also their parents. He demanded that the minister publicly apologise to the students.
Londhe also questioned Gore's reported claim that foreign forces were behind the students' agitation. Referring to the nearly 13 years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, he asked how foreign forces could allegedly reach Pune to influence a protest if the country was being governed effectively.
Accusing the BJP of routinely attempting to discredit public protests, Londhe cited the farmers' agitation, during which protesters were labelled Khalistanis, and demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, where allegations of foreign interference and anti-national activity had also been made.
He questioned why the government was attributing protests to external forces instead of addressing the grievances raised by those participating in them. Londhe criticised both the Union and Maharashtra governments and said they should be held accountable for their handling of public concerns.
In a warning to the BJP, Londhe said the protesting students would not remain silent until they forced the government out of power. He accused the party of undermining the future of young people by failing to resolve their recruitment and examination-related concerns.
The claims regarding vacant posts, examination irregularities and foreign involvement reflect allegations made by Londhe in his statement and have not been independently verified for this report.
