The video of the session is now viral on social media where netizens and opposition leaders are criticising the session. (Image: Official website of college)
The report also stated that the ID cards of the students were confiscated and the exit doors of the college premises were locked, however, college administration through a press release say otherwise
Several leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) shared videos on social media claiming that students of Mumbai’s Thakur College of Science and Commerce were forced to attend a seminar of Dhruv Goyal, son of Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday. The session was organised by the college administration, reported India Today, adding that Goyal was speaking about the accomplishments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).
The report also stated that the ID cards of the students were confiscated and the exit doors of the college premises were locked, however, college administration through a press release say otherwise.
College Administration Responds
The college claims that the event was hosted to encourage students, particularly first-time voters to actively participate in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections 2024.
“Thakur College recently hosted an event aimed at encouraging our students, particularly first-time voters, to actively participate in the upcoming general elections. As part of this initiative. we were honored to welcome Mr. Dhruv Goyal for a meaningful dialogue with these first- time voters,” a statement from the college administration.
Free Press Journal spoke with some students of the college who said that they were stressed about their exam and the behaviour of the management further aggravated the situation. The English daily also reported that some students were asked to ‘immediately’ delete the videos posted on social media platforms and a student was also made to shut up when he dared to raise his voice.
The report further added that once Goyal left the campus, the principal of the college, CT Chakraborty ‘reprimanded’ the students about their uncooperative behaviour.
The video of the session is now viral on social media where netizens and opposition leaders are criticising the session.
Opposition Parties Reacts
Reacting to the video, Shiv Sena UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi posted on microblogging site, X “Students of Thakur College in Mumbai were forced to attend Dhruv Goyal, son of Union Minister Piyush Goyal session. The students say their IDs were confiscated to ensure that they are compulsorily present when he speaks. What a shame!”
Students of Thakur College in Mumbai were forced to attend Dhruv Goyal, son of Union Minister Piyush Goyal session. The students say their ids were confiscated to ensure that they are compulsorily present when he speaks. What a shame! pic.twitter.com/qLmDKjV8yk— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) March 23, 2024
The principal of the college also alleged that Chaturvedi shared ‘manipulated’ video of this interaction with a ‘politcal motivation’. “We have been made aware of a situation involving Ms. Priyanka Chaturvedi, who has disseminated a manipulated video pertaining to this interaction, seemingly with political motivations. This has led to an unwarranted controversy, overshadowing what was an otherwise successful and well-received event,” read the college statement.
She also shared her response to the press release of the college claiming that college needs to apologise to her since she has evidence and information to support her claim.
The regime is sending out a message to the world on a daily basis, that they don’t wish the country to be a democracy anymore.Here, the IDs of the students were confiscated to force them to attend a talk by the son of a bjp candidate in North Mumbai… a day before their exams.… https://t.co/amiHuH5RQn
— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) March 23, 2024
Former Maharashtra minister and son of Uddhav Thackeray, Aditya Thackeray also took a jibe at the party that the BJP was sending out a message to the world regularly that they don’t want the country to be a democracy any more.
