Pune: ‘I would secretly eat while showing it was indefinite hunger strike’, says Zirwal; Advices Students at Manjari to ‘Eat, drink and protest’
Pune, 27th August 2026: The agitation by tribal students at Manjari in Pune over various demands entered its 15th day on Thursday, with a remark by NCP leader and Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal triggering a heated exchange at the protest site.
Zirwal, who visited the protest site along with Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike to meet the agitating students, advised those on an indefinite hunger strike to “eat and drink and continue the protest”. The students responded sharply to the remark, leading to a brief tense situation at the site. Zirwal’s statement has since sparked discussion across the state.
Uike and Zirwal held discussions with the students and appealed to those on hunger strike to call off their protest. However, the students maintained that they would not withdraw the agitation until they receive a written assurance from the government or a Government Resolution (GR) confirming that their demands have been accepted.
During the interaction, Zirwal said the students should eat and continue their agitation, stressing that protests should be conducted in accordance with Mahatma Gandhi’s principles. He questioned the need for students to put their lives at risk by undertaking a hunger strike.
“I have personally participated in several agitations. I have protested against tolls and in many other agitations. But I would secretly eat something while showing people that I was on an indefinite hunger strike,” Zirwal said.
The students, however, hit back at Zirwal, telling him, “If we were supposed to eat and drink while protesting, you would not have come here.”
Following the exchange, Zirwal’s remarks have sparked debate on social media and in political circles, with various reactions emerging over the minister’s statement against the backdrop of the students’ prolonged agitation and hunger strike.
