Big victory for students, youth: Rahul on MPSC protest

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday (October 12, 2026) said the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) chairman proceeding on leave is a big victory for the students and the youth who had been protesting against alleged irregularities in the recruitment body.

“The Chairman of MPSC finally had to go - now there will be a full investigation into corruption.

“This is a big victory for the students, this is a big victory for the youth, this is a big victory for Satyagraha,” Mr. Gandhi said in a post on X.

MPSC aspirants ended their 10-day agitation late Sunday (October 11) night after the Maharashtra government formed a committee, with senior IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe as secretary, to probe alleged irregularities, including paper leaks, in the recruitment body.

Subsequently, MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar announced that he had proceeded on leave till the inquiry was completed.

A State government delegation led by Minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale met the protesters and informed them that most of their demands had been accepted.

Rahul's statement on MPSC stir childish, says Maharashtra Minister Shelar

Speaking to reporters at the Mumbai Press Club, Maharashtra Minister and BJP leader Ashish Shelar said, "Mr. Gandhi's comments are childish. We were also with the students, thus it is also our victory."

Asserting that everyone has the right to protest, Mr. Shelar said political parties should use constitutional mechanisms, including Parliament and courts, to address their grievances.

"Some people have gone to court, then wait for the verdict. Creating a ruckus everywhere is a threat to the country," Mr. Shelar said.

Mr. Gandhi should raise issues in Parliament or approach the Supreme Court instead of resorting to street protests.

"If the issue is so important, discuss it in Parliament. File a petition in the Supreme Court. Use the constitutional mechanisms available to you," the BJP MLA said.

While in the opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party had organised movements on issues such as the Ram temple, Kashmir, and concerns involving youth and students without storming Parliament or entering the Prime Minister's residence, Mr. Shelar claimed.

These are not part of our political values, he asserted.

Mr. Shelar invoked B.R. Ambedkar's concluding address to the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, a day before the Constitution was adopted, to stress the importance of constitutional methods in pursuing social and economic objectives.

He referred to Ambedkar's warning against abandoning Constitutional methods when they were available, arguing that resorting to unconstitutional means could lead to anarchy.

The Minister also criticised approaches that, he alleged, encouraged political movements outside established institutions rather than through Parliament and other constitutional mechanisms.

Rejecting allegations of dictatorship under the Narendra Modi government, Mr. Shelar cited protests over farmers' demands and land acquisition as examples of public mobilisation during the BJP's tenure.

"What kind of dictatorship are you talking about? People have the freedom to express their views and stage protests," he said.

Mr. Shelar maintained that political disagreements should be addressed through democratic debate and legal remedies without undermining constitutional institutions.