The Union government on Monday told representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to call off the ongoing stir against irregularities in the conduct of examinations but gave no tangible assurance to meet their demands, according to people aware of the details.
Event Context
Union home minister Amit Shah separately held a prolonged meeting with education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, whose resignation CJP and other protesters are demanding, that lasted several hours.
Union minister JP Nadda met two CJP representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and said the government was approached by the group to present their demands.
He also shared a letter that the CJP has submitted with its demands, “The minister has also assured us that no further crackdown will happen at Jantar Mantar and around. However, no reports yet of police stopping,” he said.
The letter states three demands – the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is admitted in Safdarjung Hospital, the resignation of Pradhan, and a compensation of ₹1 crore for the families of those NEET aspirants who lost their lives.
Leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party called the stir politically motivated. “The protests are over…The real students have gone back to studying. Fresh examinations (NEET) have already been conducted and the students are in the process of securing admissions. Those who are carrying on with the protests are political (people) who want power,” said a senior BJP leader. He reiterated that there was “no assurance given to the CJP to meet their demands.”
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Responding to a question on whether the government had any plans for a fresh outreach and dialogue with the students, the leader quoted above said, “…The meeting with Nadda was the government listening to their demands.”
While both Houses of Parliament remained disrupted on Monday, multiple rounds of meetings were held between Shah, Pradhan, Union ministers Kiren Rijiju, Piyush Goyal and BJP president Nitin Nabin. The leaders maintained a stoic silence on the discussions, but a second government functionary said the government had already taken steps to make amends for the lapses in the conduct of examinations.
“The sit-in that has been going on at Jantar Mantar is politically motivated. The platform is being misused by those with vested interests…even after today’s attempt to march to Parliament and the clashes with the police, an impression was given out that the government had forced the protestors to evacuate the stage (at the protest site)…” the second functionary said.
Several leaders in the BJP said the government wants to draw a distinction “between students and vested interests” so that the issue is not allowed to set off social unrest.
“There is a clear pattern to such protests. We have seen how in the past the Opposition and those with ill intentions hijacked the farmers’ protests and tried to create fear among the minorities about the CAA (citizenship amendment act). Now, with elections approaching in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, they want to use the students to target the government…we will take all necessary measures including addressing the concerns of the bereaved families,” said a third party functionary.
Player Focus
“This morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government, and our discussions have been ongoing since 11:50am. The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. An initial verbal discussion was held in detail with their delegation, and they submitted a written petition to me around 4pm. I have requested all the protesters to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy,” Nadda said on X.
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Nadda did not make any reference to the government accepting the groups’ demands or giving any assurances.
But Das said, “Met Union minister JP Nadda at his house for 10 minutes… The demands have been conveyed, including immediate resignation/sacking of Dharmendra Pradhan. The minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level. However, no commitments have been made so far. The peaceful protesters will not rest until the demand is met!”
Team Analysis
The Opposition sharpened its attack. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “These are our own children, this Parliament belongs to them, it is no one’s personal fiefdom.” In the Rajya Sabha, Congress president and Leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of paper leaks, but the House was adjourned soon after.
On X, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of failing the youth and pouncing on them. “Prime Minister Modi is the most youth-hostile Prime Minister in India’s history—so youth-hostile that he can’t even demand the resignation of failed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.”
Several opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav, Trinamool Congress’s Mahua Mitra, Aam Aadmi Party’s Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, and Azad Samaj Party’s Chandrashekhar Azad visited the protest site.
