The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Monday accused Union Health Minister JP Nadda of misrepresenting the Centre's talks with NEET-UG paper leak protesters, rejecting his claim that the discussions had been cordial and constructive.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, who was part of the delegation that met Nadda, described the meeting held during the 'Chalo Sansad' march as "useless", alleging that the group spent nearly four hours in a fruitless exercise. Fellow spokesperson Saurav Das said the delegation waited for almost two hours for what ultimately turned into a 10-minute meeting.
The response came after Nadda posted on X, saying, "This morning, for the first time, the protesters proposed holding talks with the government, and discussions have been underway since 11:50 am."
"The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. An initial detailed verbal discussion was held with their delegation, and they submitted a written memorandum to me around 4 pm. I have requested all the protesters to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy," Nadda wrote.
Reacting to the minister's statement, Ranka posted, "Just seeing this -- Nadda ji, don't lie. Your government got desperate when they realised the strength of this movement. Then ended up wasting our 4 hours for this useless meeting."
According to government sources, the Centre did not provide any assurance on the three demands raised by the Cockroach Janata Party during two rounds of discussions with Nadda. Instead, the Health Minister urged the protesters to withdraw their agitation and help restore normalcy.
The talks took place as thousands of protesters assembled in central Delhi as part of the CJP's 'Sansad Chalo' march, demanding accountability for alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Government sources said Home Minister Amit Shah remained in touch with senior officials throughout the day and closely monitored the situation.
According to the memorandum submitted to Nadda, the CJP's three key demands were the unconditional release of activist Sonam Wangchuk, the removal of Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister, and compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of NEET aspirants who allegedly died by suicide following the paper leak controversy. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das and national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka represented the organisation during the meeting.
Government sources said the first round of talks began at around 11.50 am, during which the CJP delegation presented its concerns. Nadda reportedly asked the representatives to formally submit their demands in writing. They returned later in the day and handed over a written memorandum at around 4 pm.
Sources said the minister made no commitments on any of the demands during either meeting. Instead, he appealed to the protesters to call off their demonstration and cooperate with the administration to restore normalcy.
According to government sources, police and paramilitary personnel deployed during the protest were instructed to exercise maximum restraint and avoid the use of force unless absolutely necessary.
The CJP's protest began at Jantar Mantar on June 6 and has expanded steadily over the past several weeks. The movement gained momentum after Sonam Wangchuk joined the sit-in on June 20 and later began an indefinite hunger strike. Wangchuk, who has now been fasting for 23 days, was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital by police on Sunday after his health deteriorated.
The government also sought to counter the protesters' allegations by highlighting the scale of this year's entrance examinations. According to official sources, over five million students appeared for NEET, JEE and CUET, with around one million candidates taking more than one examination and over four million appearing across various entrance tests nationwide.
Government sources further argued that most genuine candidates were currently occupied with counselling and admission processes, making it unlikely that a significant number of successful students would participate in the protests. They also maintained that the examination results did not indicate widespread irregularities, noting that many top rank holders were first-time candidates and came from economically weaker and lower-middle-class backgrounds.
Defending the government's handling of the NEET controversy, sources said authorities acted promptly after reports of the paper leak surfaced. They pointed out that a re-examination was conducted within a month and action had already been initiated against those responsible. The Cockroach Janata Party, however, has continued to demand greater accountability, arguing that systemic failures in the conduct of competitive examinations require action against senior officials and policymakers.
