PUNE, Jan 8: Angry volunteers of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today gheraoed Education Minister Sudhir Joshi for nearly 30 minutes. Despite the heavy police bandobast, the minister was forced to get down from his vehicle and bombarded with questions on the academic loss caused by the State-wide junior teachers strike that entered its 29th day today.Joshi, who was in the city to attend the birth centenary celebration of Dr Annasaheb Khaire, founder of the Pune Vidhyarthi Gruha, said: ``It was irresponsible behaviour on the part of teachers to pressure the Government in this fashion and a final decision on their demands would be taken only after the withdrawal of the strike''.The gherao took place after the function was over. Around 25 ABVP workers stopped the minister's car by squatting before it near Bhikardas Maruti temple. They raised slogans against the Government demanding an immediate decision on the strike to avoid academic loss of the students. Joshi, who was forced to alight from the vehicle and have a dialogue with the workers, told them that the Government had not made the strike a prestige issue and the teachers were equally to blame for the academic loss caused to students. He emphasised that the strike was not the right way to go about the problem.Joshi said that the Government had issued instructions about some of the genuine demands of the teachers. However, they had gone on strike before the entire procedure could be formally completed, he said. He reinforced an appeal to the striking teachers to consider the position of the students and withdraw the strike. He explained that the Government would have to spend Rs 100 crore annually if their demands on pay-scales were accepted. ``However. financial burden is not important, what is important is that the strike had to called off for the good of the students,'' he said. He expressed displeasure about the ABVP policy to plead for the agitating teachers instead of speaking for the students. Meanwhile, in a press release issued this evening, junior college teachers have decided to launch a State-wide jail bharo from Monday.
