Maharashtra government scraps age limit for tribal hostels after Rahul Gandhi’s letter to CM
Tribal students to continue protest until other demands are met; BJP advises Rahul to visit the States governed by the Congress to take stock of the situation there
On August 25, 2026, the Maharashtra government decided to remove the age limit for tribal hostel admissions in a move prompted by a letter from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The BJP responded by urging Gandhi to visit other Congress-governed states to assess the situation. The Opposition threatened to demand the resignation of Tribal Affairs Minister Ashok Uike unless he addressed the students' other concerns.
Congress leaders vowed to support the protesting students and demanded Uike's resignation, citing the government's failure to address their demands. NCP MLA Rohit Pawar expressed solidarity with the students and criticized the minister for dismissing their grievances. Tribal students continued their protest, rejecting the government's claim that they had withdrawn their hunger strike, and demanded the resolution of other key issues, including filling vacancies and compensating families of tribal girls who died in a snakebite incident.
Gandhi's four-page letter to Fadnavis detailed the challenges faced by tribal students, particularly those from remote villages, highlighting issues such as unsafe hostel conditions, lack of food, sanitation, medical care, and humiliating medical tests for female students. The minister dismissed these allegations, asserting that no such tests exist and that the snakebite incident occurred at ashramshalas belonging to former Congress leaders.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
