Pune: The ongoing protest by Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants at SM Joshi Bridge entered its sixth day on Tuesday, with NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar intensifying the agitation by symbolically cremating a dummy bier, saying it represented the "dreams of poor students".
The symbolic cremation was carried out in the presence of protesting students near the river. Pawar said the funeral was not of a person but represented the aspirations of students whose demands, he alleged, were being ignored by the government.
"What was this funeral for? It was for the dreams of the students. It was also for the dreams of poor students," Pawar said.
He alleged that the government was giving greater importance to political considerations and personal equations than to the students' concerns.
"Politics today has become so dirty, so bad, that those in power think about their friends. They think more about their political ego. And on the other side, the dreams of these students are being ignored," Pawar said.
Pawar said the ashes from the symbolic cremation would be collected in an urn and sent to another protest site on Wednesday at 11 am, where political leaders have been visiting.
"We will put those ashes into an urn. Through some students, we will send that urn containing the ashes of the students' dreams there," he said, adding that he hoped the ashes would reach Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
"Our expectation is that the leader should take those ashes exactly as they are and go to the Chief Minister. After seeing those ashes, we expect the Chief Minister to become emotional," Pawar said.
Pawar also claimed that MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar's resignation letter, addressed to the Governor, had been handed over to the Chief Minister instead.
He further defended the proposed Pune shutdown, saying the protesters had public support, and claimed that citizens were providing food and other assistance to the protesting students.
Pawar also said he wanted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to visit the protest site, claiming that discussions had taken place regarding his participation.
