Uttarakhand BJP chief apologises after backlash over remarks on students

Dehradun: Uttarakhand BJP chief Mahendra Bhatt has apologised after facing backlash from the Congress and other organisations for making allegedly objectionable remarks against students after Dharmendra Pradhan's resigned as Union education minister over the NEET paper leak issue.

In a social media post on Sunday, Bhatt said, "If any word or the way I phrased my statement yesterday inadvertently hurt anyone's sentiments, I regret it and offer my apologies." He clarified that it was not his intention to hurt anyone's feelings.

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A video of Bhatt surfaced online on Saturday. The Congress alleged that Bhatt had insulted thousands of youths and students who were raising their voices against alleged irregularities in examinations and demanded an unconditional apology from him.

State Congress President Ganesh Godiyal had said that Bhatt's abusive language made it clear how deeply upset he was over Pradhan's resignation.

The Congress leader reminded his BJP counterpart that earlier, Premchand Aggarwal had been forced to resign as minister due to the use of similar abusive language.

"This reflects your attitude towards students and the people here. You should apologise before this matter escalates further," Godiyal had said.

If Bhatt did not apologise, students and youths would stage a sit-in outside his residence, he said.

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In a video shared on Sunday, Bhatt said the opposition was misrepresenting his statement and asserted that he had not used the kind of language that was being attributed to him.

State BJP media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan backed Bhatt, saying his remarks were being misinterpreted.

Recently, a case of an alleged question paper leak at Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) came to light.

The Congress has been consistently targeting the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government over alleged irregularities in various recruitment examinations.

The state government, however, has stated that it has a policy of zero tolerance against question paper leaks, implemented a stringent anti-cheating law and sent several accused individuals to jail in connection with such cases.