Raj Thackeray to join Pune MPSC protest, day after MP is heckled for defecting

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray is scheduled to join protests in Pune, demanding greater transparency in Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exams and the resignation of the commission’s chairman, Vivek Bhimnawar, at 4pm on Monday, even as the protesters heckled parliamentarian Omraje Nimbalkar for defecting from Shiv Sena (UBT).

Nimbalkar visited the protest site late on Sunday, the fifth day of the protest. A section of the protesters raised slogans questioning his decision to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in June. Some called him a “traitor”. Nimbalkar defended his decision and insisted that he had not distanced himself from his constituents.

“I have not gone anywhere. I am right here. I am an elected representative,” he said. He added that he remained connected with people in his constituency and stood by them during floods, droughts and other crises.

Nimbalkar said the lack of power made it difficult for him and his colleagues to carry out work for constituents. He backed the students’ concerns over the MPSC examination system.

Nimbalkar added that an examination is directly linked to a student’s future. He said irregularities such as question-paper leaks could force the cancellation of examinations, causing severe hardship to aspirants who had prepared for them.

Nimbalkar said the MPSC secretary had been transferred. He added he would meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis with a delegation of students to press for their demands.

Slogan-shouting protesters repeatedly interrupted Nimbalkar’s speech. “I have come here to support you. Have I made a mistake?” asked Nimbalkar amid sloganeering. Agitator Vivekanand Patil appealed to the students to allow him to complete his address. The protesters eventually applauded Nimbalkar after his speech ended.

The agitation continued at three sites. Opposition leaders have visited the Rohit Pawar-led protest at Pune’s SM Joshi Bridge. Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have visited the group protesting on KBS Road. A third group is holding a separate agitation.

The protests in Pune are the latest in a series of such agitations. In July, student protests over examination irregularities forced the then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.

Job aspirants and student unions, agitating against alleged irregularities in recruitment exams for nearly a month, announced a suspension of their sit-in after the Jharkhand government conceded to almost all of their key demands.