A two-member CJP delegation met Health Minister JP Nadda twice on Monday and submitted a memorandum listing three key demands, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk. However, the government gave no assurance on the demands so far.
The Centre gave no assurance on any of the three demands raised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) during the two rounds of talks with Health Minister JP Nadda on Monday, government sources said, adding that the minister instead urged the protesters to end their sit-in and help restore normalcy.
According to the memorandum submitted to Nadda, the CJP has listed three principal demands – the unconditional release of activist Sonam Wangchuk, the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Rs 1 crore compensation for families of NEET aspirants who allegedly died by suicide following the NEET paper leak. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das and national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka met Nadda.
According to government sources, the first meeting took place at around 11:50 am when CJP representatives met Nadda and outlined their concerns. During the interaction, the minister asked the delegation to formally submit its demands in writing. The representatives later returned and handed over a written memorandum to Nadda at around 4 pm.
Government sources said no assurances were given by Nadda on any of the demands during the meetings. However, the minister urged the protesters to end their protest and cooperate with the administration in restoring normalcy.
The meetings took place as thousands of protesters gathered in central Delhi under the CJP’s “Sansad Chalo” (march to Parliament) call, demanding accountability for alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and Pradhan’s resignation.
Sources said the government closely monitored developments throughout the day, with Home Minister Amit Shah remaining in touch with senior officials and reviewing the situation as it unfolded.
According to government sources, police and paramilitary personnel deployed during the protest were instructed to avoid the use of force and, where intervention became necessary, to exercise maximum restraint.
The CJP protest, which began at Jantar Mantar on June 6, has steadily expanded over the past several weeks. It gained momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the sit-in on June 20 and subsequently launched a hunger strike. Wangchuk, who has been fasting for 23 days, was forcibly taken by police to Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday as his health deteriorated.
The government sought to counter the protesters’ claims by pointing to the scale of national entrance examinations conducted this year. Sources said more than five million students appeared in the three major examinations – NEET, JEE and CUET.
Of these, around one million students are estimated to have appeared in more than one examination, while over four million candidates took various entrance tests across the country.