On Monday, thousands of students and supporters marched towards Parliament, demanding action over alleged NEET paper leaks and examination irregularities. (Express Archive/Narendra Vaskar)A day after the protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Delhi over alleged NEET paper leaks, Maharashtra legislator Sadabhau Khot triggered a political controversy Tuesday by referring to the demonstrators as “terrorists”, drawing sharp criticism from Opposition leaders and even a member of the Maharashtra Government.The remark by Khot, a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC), came after the Cockroach Janta Party’s Delhi protest escalated Monday as thousands of students and supporters marched towards Parliament, demanding action over alleged NEET paper leaks and examination irregularities.Also Read | Why government is talking to CJP, but stopping short of concessions“The government should give a democratic response to these terrorists. These terrorists cannot tolerate this,” Khot told reporters, defending the Centre’s handling of the examination controversy.Attacks OppositionCalling the NEET paper leak a conspiracy, Khot said the culprits had been arrested and investigations were underway as he questioned the demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.“The government has taken the stance that the guilty will not be spared. Those who qualified in NEET are rushing for admissions, but those who have no connection to it are demanding resignations,” Khot said.Also Read | How Delhi Police misjudged scale of CJP protest – and struggled to contain it“Dharmendra Pradhan has no connection to the paper leak issue. However, the INDIA bloc and MVA are in the habit of creating anti-government sentiment and continuously spreading falsehoods. The INDIA bloc and MVA are trying to create a situation akin to terrorism,” he added.“The government should not accept the Education Minister’s resignation under any circumstances. Narendra at the Centre, Devendra in the state, and Dharmendra in education,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Modi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadnavis, and Pradhan.‘Protesters can’t be called terrorists’Story continues below this adWhile Fadnavis said he was not aware of Khot’s statement, his Cabinet colleague, Shambhuraj Desai, who belongs to the Shiv Sena, said protesters cannot be called terrorists.“In a democracy, everyone has the right to protest. However, smashing and destroying police vehicles, taking the law into one’s own hands, is not right. At the same time, protesters cannot be called terrorists,” Desai said.NCP-SP spokesperson Sunil Mane said Khot’s statement was “highly deplorable”. “He should have thought several times before calling protesting students terrorists. We condemn his words.”Also Read | Is staging a protest legal in India: What rights, restrictions the law givesMaharashtra Congress spokesperson Gopal Tiwari called Khot’s statement “shocking”.Story continues below this ad“How can one call a protest by students in a democratic way an act of terrorism? Actually, Khot reflects the mindset of Modi, which treats citizens who resort to democratic ways as terrorists, and it backs those who loot the country.”Another farmer leader, MLA Bacchu Kadu, urged Khot to retract his statement. “Sadabhau Khot’s statement is completely wrong. He needs to correct his statement. Protests have been the soul of this country; our nation gained its freedom through movements,” Kadu added.