<p>Congress workers held a protest this morning outside the residence of Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde as the party stepped up its attack on him in the educational degree row.<br /><br />Nearly 300 Congress workers, led by former MLA Ashok Jadhav and office-bearers of the party's Mumbai unit, gathered outside the BJP leader's residence in suburban Vile Parle and raised slogans demanding his resignation in a demonstration that continued for about an hour.<br /><br />There was heavy security bandobast by local police in the area even as the Congress's city unit president Sanjay Nirupam had yesterday led a 'Tawde hatao' agitation.<br /><br />Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, had said that Congress would stall Monsoon session proceedings if no action was taken against Tawde.<br />However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has defended Tawde, calling the controversy a "non-issue".<br /><br />"There is no question of any action against him (Tawde). He has never hidden any facts," Fadnavis said yesterday.<br /><br />After a news channel reported that Tawde's BE electronics degree was 'bogus', Tawde on Monday clarified that he was a student of Pune's Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth between 1980 to 1984, but was enrolled in a course which was not recognised by the government.<br />"Other than this course, I have studied up to 12th class and I have never hidden that. </p>.<p>Even in my poll affidavit, I have mentioned all aspects of my education," Tawde had said.<br />"Had I mentioned that I did a course from Mumbai University, Pune University or Shivaji University, that would have amounted to cheating. But I did no such thing," the minister said. </p>
<p>Congress workers held a protest this morning outside the residence of Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde as the party stepped up its attack on him in the educational degree row.<br /><br />Nearly 300 Congress workers, led by former MLA Ashok Jadhav and office-bearers of the party's Mumbai unit, gathered outside the BJP leader's residence in suburban Vile Parle and raised slogans demanding his resignation in a demonstration that continued for about an hour.<br /><br />There was heavy security bandobast by local police in the area even as the Congress's city unit president Sanjay Nirupam had yesterday led a 'Tawde hatao' agitation.<br /><br />Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, had said that Congress would stall Monsoon session proceedings if no action was taken against Tawde.<br />However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has defended Tawde, calling the controversy a "non-issue".<br /><br />"There is no question of any action against him (Tawde). He has never hidden any facts," Fadnavis said yesterday.<br /><br />After a news channel reported that Tawde's BE electronics degree was 'bogus', Tawde on Monday clarified that he was a student of Pune's Dnyaneshwar Vidyapeeth between 1980 to 1984, but was enrolled in a course which was not recognised by the government.<br />"Other than this course, I have studied up to 12th class and I have never hidden that. </p>.<p>Even in my poll affidavit, I have mentioned all aspects of my education," Tawde had said.<br />"Had I mentioned that I did a course from Mumbai University, Pune University or Shivaji University, that would have amounted to cheating. But I did no such thing," the minister said. </p>