Amid the second round of the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protests at Pune's Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), a social media post by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday went viral.
The post, which allegedly showed PM Narendra Modi shaking hands with CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, quickly went viral, instantly sparking questions of why the PM would join forces with people protesting against Union Education Minister Dharmedra Pradhan.
"In the US, who did you meet?" Raut wrote in a Facebook post showing the two allegedly smiling and shaking hands at what seems to be a protest centre.
The Boston-educated Dipke later told TV9 Marathi that that Sanjay Raut "may have misunderstood", and that he had "never met Prime Minister Modi".
"I think that photo must be AI. I have not seen that photo yet ... till date I have never met Prime Minister Modi. I am a very small person, so how can I meet the Prime Minister of the country?" he added.
Dipke's response led to a wave of backlash against Raut, accusing him of spreading false information online, especially with the protests taking place in Pune—one among a series of protests by the satirical outfit till Pradhan resigns from his post.
The protests have been targeting Pradhan over the NEET paper leak case, which has made the fate of thousands of medical students uncertain, with several even dying by suicide.
Issues with the CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which has also affected thousands of school students across the country, has added to the public ire against Pradhan.
