Mumbai, July 24: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Friday said that following nationwide outrage and escalating protests regarding the NEET examination paper leak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally broken his silence on the issue.

Addressing the growing public anger, PM Modi stated that the interests and future of the nation’s students remain the government’s top priority and assured strict action against those responsible. “No individual playing with the future of students will be spared,” the Prime Minister asserted, promising the setup of fast-track courts to ensure swift justice and stringent punishment for the culprits.

However, the party, in an editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, sharply criticised the timing and mode of the Prime Minister’s announcement, noting that PM Modi chose to post his statement on social media platform ‘X’ rather than addressing Parliament or directly engaging with the protesting students.

The editorial said the announcement comes amid intense demonstrations led by students and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi over the past two months. Protesters have faced police lathi charges while demanding accountability and systemic reform in the national examination system. “Protesting students have dismissed PM Modi’s assurances as a mere “bandage on a paper leak” and termed the promises of fast-track courts as “empty rhetoric”, it added.

“Had the PM demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan before announcing fast-track courts, his promises might have carried weight. Instead, none of this transpired, leaving his statements looking like mere “castles in the air”. The scepticism of the protesting students is justified; no one is confident the Prime Minister will deliver on his promise. Throughout his 12-year tenure, he has either maintained silence on critical national issues or undermined his own assurances,” commented the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

According to the editorial, critics and opposition voices have highlighted that despite reports of 152 paper leak incidents over the past decade during the Modi administration without significant action, it was only the 153rd leak — and the resulting nationwide fury — that forced an official reaction. The editorial raised several critical points regarding the administration’s handling of the crisis.

“The Prime Minister failed to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who holds primary responsibility for the ministry. While promising strict action against perpetrators, the administration has simultaneously imposed the National Security Act (NSA) in Delhi to curb demonstrations, drawing sharp criticism over its handling of public dissent,” said the editorial.

The editorial remarked that as public dissatisfaction grows over the ruin of millions of students’ and parents’ aspirations, critics are not sure whether these commitments will result in concrete reforms or simply remain unfulfilled promises.

Mumbai: Due to the Maharashtra bandh in Mumbai Shivaji Park, Kurla, Chambor, Chunabhatti, Mankhurd and other suburban areas, the VBA took out a protest demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. Meanwhile, the police detained protesters from Chembor, Kurla and other areas and later released the protesters. The normal system in Mumbai remained affected due to the Maharashtra bandh, but schools, colleges and public transport were running as usual. Along with this, in the Kurla area of ​​Mumbai, women protesters took to the streets and blocked the road in protest against the Net Paper Leak issue, due to which the traffic system was affected. Later, the police removed the women from the road and normal life returned to normal. The Maharashtra bandh has affected normal order in various areas of Mumbai. The Thackeray brothers and Amit and Aaditya Thackeray have also supported the protesters in Shivaji Park. Now the Thackeray brothers have made it clear in the press conference that they will march on July 26. If anyone tries to create chaos or stone pelting or violence like Delhi, they will not be tolerated and the MNS will respond to it. Along with this, Raj Thackeray has announced a peaceful protest and has threatened the government that if any attempt is made to create unrest in this protest, it will be responded to. Today, several protesters and leaders were detained during the protest.

Police driver threatens to implicate students in drug case
After the video of Shivaji Park threatening to implicate students in drug case went viral, an inquiry has been started against the constable in this matter and in this matter, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the inquiry of the constable is going on and he has been removed from here. It is unfortunate that the video has gone viral in this matter. Devendra Fadnavis said that under the guise of this protest, Uddhav Thackeray is trying to save his existence. He said that in Maharashtra too, the paper has been leaked in the Uddhav Thackeray government.

Mumbai: The Uttar Pradesh government’s order to demolish parts of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur has drawn strong reactions in Mumbai. An important meeting was held today at the famous ‘Islam Gymkhana’ in Mumbai against this action. The participants made serious allegations and said that instead of establishing new centers for higher education, the government is destroying an institution that shapes the future of thousands of students. The speakers in the meeting stressed that this issue is not limited to a single building but is related to the educational future of thousands of students, the education system and the rights of minorities. They were of the view that if there were any technical irregularities in the operations or construction of the university, the government should have tried to correct them within the legal framework and save the institution. Instead of finding any constructive solution, this action is being taken only in the spirit of political revenge. The meeting unanimously condemned this unfair policy in the strongest terms. Important resolutions were passed in the meeting to determine the future course of action. It was decided that a delegation would immediately meet the Governor of Maharashtra and submit a memorandum, urging him to direct the Uttar Pradesh government to intervene in the matter. A warning was also issued that if the government took further action against Jauhar University, a massive public movement would be launched in Mumbai. This important meeting was attended by a large number of prominent scholars, social workers, and intellectuals of Mumbai, including MLAs Abu Asim Azmi, Yousuf Abrahani, Meraj Siddiqui, Maulana Anis Ashrafi, Aamir Idrisi, Saleem Alwar, Saeed Hamid, Sarfaraz Arzoo, and Dr. Zeba Malik.