By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Dehradun: Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt on Sunday tendered apology over his alleged derogatory remarks against students protesting the alleged paper leak issue, a day after the controversy triggered sharp criticism from the opposition Congress.
In a statement, Bhatt said, “If, due to any word or its pronunciation in my statement yesterday, anyone’s sentiments have been hurt because of any misunderstanding, I regret it and apologise. My intention was never to hurt anyone’s feelings.”
The apology came after Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal had demanded an unconditional public apology from the BJP leader, accusing him of insulting thousands of unemployed youths and students agitating over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
Godiyal had alleged that Bhatt’s remarks reflected the ruling party’s “insensitive attitude” towards the concerns of young job aspirants and said students had every democratic right to protest against alleged paper leaks and seek a transparent recruitment process. The Congress maintained that the protests represented the frustration of educated unemployed candidates affected by repeated recruitment controversies and not any political agenda.
Bhatt’s statement is being viewed as an attempt to defuse the political row that erupted following his comments. While expressing regret, the BJP leader maintained that he had no intention of hurting anyone’s sentiments and suggested that any offence caused was the result of misunderstanding over his words or their interpretation.
The controversy comes at a time when the alleged paper leak issue continues to dominate political discourse in Uttarakhand. The opposition has repeatedly targeted the Pushkar Singh Dhami government over recruitment examination irregularities, while the state government has asserted that it follows a zero-tolerance policy against paper leaks. It has highlighted the implementation of a stringent anti-copying law and action against those involved in examination malpractices.
Congress is also seeking resignation of state Technical Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat over the alleged paper leak.