A war of words ensued between the BJP and the Congress on Tuesday (August 25, 2026), even as the Maharashtra government announced the scrapping of age limit for admission to tribal hostels after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The BJP on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) advised Mr. Gandhi to visit the States governed by the Congress to take stock of the situation there. The Opposition now said it would demand the resignation of Tribal Affairs Minister Ashok Uike. “They have now revoked the age condition after Rahulji’s letter. But if the government does not look at the other demands made by Rahul Gandhi, we will seek the Tribal Affairs Minister’s resignation,” Congress leader Vijay Waddettiwar told The Hindu.
The NCP (SP) said it would support the students and their agitation. “The government has started talking with them only now. If they are not going to take the demands of the tribal students seriously, what is the point in being in power? The Minister might as well resign then,” NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said. He met the agitating students on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) and expressed the party’s solidarity with them. He hit back at Mr. Uike after the Minister claimed that the students had already taken back their protest.
“We are removing the condition of age limit of 30 years for admission to tribal hostels. This condition was mentioned in the GR (government resolution) issued on August 14 this year. Now, as per the instructions of the tribal MLAs and MPs, we have decided to cancel this condition. There will be no age bar now for admission in tribal hostels,” Mr. Uike told reporters on Tuesday (August 25, 2026).
But the tribal students in Manjari who continued to sit on their protest for the 13th day on Tuesday said they would not take back their hunger strike until the government addressed all their key demands. “We want the government to address our other concerns. May it be filling the 12,500 vacancies or giving ₹1 crore to the families of tribal girls who lost their lives in the snake bite incident in Gadchiroli Ashram School. We will continue our protest till all our main demands are met,” Nisha Sable, a tribal protester, told reporters in Pune. While speaking at the Chhatron ki Goonj programme in Pune last week, she had alleged that the tribal girls were made to undergo pregnancy test after they returned from a long vacation after visiting their homes.
The State government on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) refuted these claims. When asked about it, Mr. Uike said nobody should speak this way about “their daughters”. “Nothing like this has happened, or will happen,” he said.
‘Attack on their dignity’
A war of words ensued between the Opposition and the BJP over Mr. Gandhi’s letter to the Chief Minister. The four-page letter consisted of a three-page memorandum submitted to Mr. Gandhi by the protesting tribal students.
“In Pune, they told me about rules that strip them of their dignity and shut off their path to education. Many Adivasi students come from remote villages and depend on government hostels to study in the cities. A new rule bars anyone over 30 from these hostels, excluding many who are still completing their studies or preparing for exams. Hostels are unsafe and often lack food, sanitation and medical care. Students have suffered injuries and deaths, including from snake bites. Facilities for women are worse still. I was shocked to learn that female students returning after an extended absence must undergo pregnancy tests and a range of other medical tests to prove their ‘fitness’. It is a humiliation that presumes them guilty until they prove otherwise. This rule is an attack on their dignity and their humanity. These students are not asking for charity. They are demanding what is theirs by right,” the letter written by Mr. Gandhi stated.
Hitting back at the Congress leader, Mr. Uike said Mr. Gandhi should have checked his facts before posing questions to Mr. Fadnavis. “On the very day you came to Maharashtra and held a paid PR programme, just before the programme, our tribal students from Nagpur and Chandrapur had withdrawn their hunger strike. Perhaps, to mislead you, the Congress leaders of the State did not give you the proper information. That is your matter, no matter how many times you launch yourself, you are destined to fail. But on the students’ demand, the age limit for hostel admission has been raised to 30 years. When any student goes on a one-month leave, a fitness certificate is asked only for their health. The talk of pregnancy checks is completely false; no such test exists. And yes, where the snakebite incident happened, or where complaints of inconveniences are coming from, for your information, those are the ashramshalas of dignitaries like your own former MP Marotrao Kowase or your former Education Minister Prof. Vasant Purke. All Congress leaders. But don’t worry about the students of Maharashtra, no matter which community they belong to. The State’s Mahayuti government is capable of providing all facilities to them and will take appropriate steps. Just extend your tourism trips a bit to Jharkhand, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala as well,” Mr. Uike said.
Published – August 25, 2026 10:57 pm IST
