In the second meeting between representatives from the Cockroach Janta Party-led youth protest and the Narendra Modi government, CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka submitted a letter to ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh.
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This could mean a tacit acceptance of the demand for an adjournment motion. This motion is among the sharpest devices available to MPs who want to corner the government in Parliament.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju told the Lok Sabha that the message had been conveyed to the Opposition through the Speaker. The government was ready to discuss the NEET paper leak in both Houses, he said, and would accept the Opposition’s choice of date and format.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said earlier in the day that the form of the debate was itself open to negotiation. The House was ready to take up every issue, he said, asking members to return after Question Hour, so that all parties could be consulted on the rule under which they wished to hold the discussion. The House was thereafter adjourned.
The exchange came on the 48th day of the protest launched by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) after the NEET-UG medical exam paper leak this year.
Details
The letter was addressed to health minister JP Nadda, who met the two CJP leaders also on July 20, the day of the Parliament march that saw police using violence to force a retreat. This time, Nadda was accompanied by Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’ Office.
The CJP’s letter said, “This is with respect to the ongoing CJP protest at Jantar Mantar. We acknowledge the Government’s eagerness to find a mutually beneficial solution. Over the last few days, we have held extensive consultations with our supporters and members across the country, and with the protesters at Jantar Mantar. We have arrived at a clear consensus that our demands, namely the resignation of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, RE-exam re-conducting for NEET aspirants, and no legal action against protesters, are non-negotiable.”
It added that the government, the head of the Rapid Action Force, and the Delhi Police Commissioner “ought to publicly apologize to the students who were brutally assaulted by state forces”.
“We request that all these demands be accepted at the earliest, failing which the movement will only grow bigger and spread across the country. Further, we would appreciate the Government’s response to our five-point demand charter on examination reforms. The charter will prove pivotal in bringing about the larger structural reform needed in the education system. Hoping for an early resolution,” it added.
In a media interaction after the meeting at the Constitution Club of India, a “neutral” venue as per CJP’s demand, Ramka said, “Dharmendra Pradhan needs to resign or he needs to be sacked. We spoke to the government in detail about this. The government has sought time till tomorrow afternoon to respond to this demand.”
Ranka also said that during the meeting the government approved “in-principle” two demands by the CJP. Those are: compensation for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide, and no legal action against student protesters.
He said the CJP hopes the government would sack Pradhan soon.
In the House
Meanwhile, on a parallel track where Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has been demanding that the issue of paper leaks be discussed in Parliament, the government indicated on Thursday it was fine with having a debate “the way the Opposition wants”.
