BJP Leader Ramesh Bidhuri Alleges 'Puncture Repairers, Locksmiths' Outnumbered Students at NEET Protest

NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri on Sunday alleged that "puncture banane wale aur tala banane wale" (those who fix tyre punctures and locksmiths) outnumbered students at the recent Jantar Mantar protest against the NEET paper leak. Addressing a "Gen Z Summit" in Tughlaqabad in South Delhi, Bidhuri criticised the abusive language used during the protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, news agency PTI reported. His remarks came against the backdrop of Modi's appeal to "forgive" young protesters who used abusive language against him and his late mother. "Can the sons and daughters of India talk like this about Modi ji and his family? They must be the children of puncture repairers who were using such words against Modi ji," Bidhuri said. The former two-time South Delhi MP also criticised Opposition leaders, alleging that youth were misled into gathering at Jantar Mantar for the CJP-led protest. The ‘Sansad Chalo’ march was carried out on July 20, demanding the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak. "Puncture banane wale, tala banane wale (those who fix tyre punctures and locksmiths) were there (Jantar Mantar) in larger numbers. Students were fewer in number," he said. In a late-night video message posted on Instagram and X on August 1, PM Modi said he was pained that even his late mother was subjected to "filthy abuses" at Jantar Mantar. The PM expressed the youth's outrage as "cultural shock" over the language used by young women protesters. At the same time, he called for forgiving the "misguided children", saying the youth should be guided rather than punished.