At an interaction in Pune, Rahul Gandhi told tribal students he was ready to join their protest. The exchange spotlighted demands on hostels, school facilities, healthcare and student safety.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday threw his weight behind tribal students protesting in Maharashtra, telling a young woman activist that he was willing to join their agitation if needed to press the government to act on their demands.
Speaking at the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ interaction programme in Pune, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha responded after a tribal student described the hardships faced by students living in government-run hostels and residential schools.
The student told Gandhi that tribal youth had been on a hunger strike for the past 10 days at Manjari in Pune, demanding reforms in hostel rules and better educational facilities. She said two women students were participating in the fast and one had already been hospitalised after her condition worsened.
One of the key demands raised was increasing the age limit for students staying in government tribal hostels to 35 years. The student argued that the existing restrictions were preventing many from continuing their education and said there should ideally be no age cap at all.
Responding to her appeal, Gandhi said, “Call me there, I will come and sit with you. A little more pressure will build up,” signalling his readiness to join the protest and support the students’ cause.
The student also accused the state government of ignoring repeated representations from the tribal community. According to her, officials had told protesters that the matter rested with the chief minister.
“If the government cannot work for the development of tribal students, it has no right to occupy that chair,” she said.
During the interaction, she highlighted a range of issues affecting tribal students, including poor infrastructure in ashram schools, lack of drinking water and beds, and inadequate healthcare facilities.
She criticised the centralised kitchen system used in several tribal schools, claiming food prepared at distant locations often travelled long distances before reaching students, raising concerns about quality and safety.
The student also referred to a recent tragedy in Gadchiroli in which three tribal girl students died after a snakebite incident in a residential school. She demanded compensation of at least Rs 1 crore for each victim’s family and called for round-the-clock medical staff at tribal educational institutions.