Ahilyanagar (Maharashtra) [India], July 23 : Social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday asserted that no issue can be resolved through violence, backing the students' demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy, and termed the police lathi charge on protesters in Delhi as "wrong."
A day after writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the Centre to engage in dialogue with protesting students instead of suppressing dissent, the veteran social activist reiterated that non-violence was the only way to resolve public issues.
"I had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that any issue can be resolved through non-violence. Engaging in violence will not solve any problem; violence will only aggravate matters further. Non-violence. I have undertaken 22 fasts-unto-death following non-violence. I have completed 22 fasts, but I never resorted to violence," Hazare told ANI.
Backing the students' demand over the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, Hazare said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should step down.
"As per the students' demand, the Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, should resign. Students--youth power--is the nation's strength. You have to take work from the nation's strength appropriately. If you go down the wrong path, it will lead to wrong outcomes. He should resign," he said.
Emphasising the accountability of elected representatives to the people, Hazare added, "As I have said, the public is the master, and the ministers are public servants. Whenever any work needs to be done, if the public feels it should happen, and if a large majority demands it, then it should be done."
Referring to the police action during the CJP-led protests at Jantar Mantar on July 20, Hazare criticised the use of force against demonstrators by Delhi Police.
"That was wrong. Resorting to a lathi charge is wrong. I have led so many protests, but such a situation never occurred. A lathi charge never happened, and no violence took place. Right now, I cannot say whether the government is misusing power. It needs to be looked into," he said.
Hazare's remarks come a day after he wrote a detailed letter to Prime Minister Modi expressing concern over the violence during the protests in the national capital and urging the government to adopt dialogue instead of confrontation.
In the letter, Hazare described the police action against protesting students and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk as "extremely painful" and said public anger over paper leaks, delayed recruitments and unemployment should be viewed as a matter of social concern rather than merely a law-and-order issue.
He supported the ongoing agitation by students and parents seeking accountability in the NEET paper leak case and argued that accepting the resignation of the concerned minister would strengthen governance and send a message of accountability across government departments.
Hazare also criticised the government's handling of Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite fast, saying meaningful dialogue should have preceded any coercive action.
Meanwhile, Sonam Wangchuk has demanded that the Centre provide a clear assurance that no punitive or retaliatory legal action will be taken against protesters who participated in the 'Sansad Chalo' agitation before he ends his indefinite fast.
The Delhi Police has registered 10 FIRs in connection with the protests, while the Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Centre and Delhi Police on petitions alleging excessive use of force and directed authorities to preserve CCTV footage and other electronic evidence related to the incident.