The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has reiterated to the government that its demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is non-negotiable during the second round of talks with Union Minister JP Nadda. The organisation, which is leading the student protests at Jantar Mantar, said the government has sought time until Saturday afternoon to respond to the demand.
Pradhan's resignation has remained the central demand of the month-long protests, which turned violent on July 20 when students attempted to march towards Parliament. The CJP has warned that the agitation will intensify if the minister does not step down.
What happened during the meeting?
Speaking to reporters after the nearly two-hour meeting at the Constitution Club, CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the government had agreed in principle to two of the organisation's demands.
These include Rs 1 crore in compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide and the withdrawal of FIRs and legal cases against protesting students.
"The government has asked for time till tomorrow afternoon on our demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. We hope the govt will remove him soon," Ranka said.
"The government has expressed in-principle approval on the two demands of compensation (for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide) and withdrawal of FIRs, legal cases on students," he added.
A third round of discussions between CJP leaders and the government, represented by Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, is scheduled for Saturday.
Nadda, who serves as the Union Health Minister, described the meeting as "cordial" but declined to reveal further details or confirm whether any of the CJP's demands had been accepted.
"They had three key demands and five reform suggestions for exams. We have told them that we will meet them again tomorrow afternoon," Nadda said.
Government moves to ease tensions
The meeting took place as the Centre stepped up efforts to address the growing protests and calm student anger.
Against this backdrop, the Union Cabinet approved a Bill proposing tougher penalties for those involved in examination paper leaks.
The decision came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a late-night selfie video, pledged stricter action against paper leak cases. Earlier in the day, he also announced the establishment of fast-track courts dedicated to handling such cases.
According to sources, the proposed legislation is expected to prescribe penalties of up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to Rs 10 crore for those convicted of paper leak offences. The existing law provides for imprisonment ranging from three to five years and fines of up to Rs 10 lakh.
The government also transferred the Education Secretary amid the ongoing protests, marking its first major administrative move since the NEET-UG paper leak controversy emerged in May.
Meanwhile, activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose hunger strike gave fresh momentum to the CJP movement, ended his fast late on Thursday night.
After remaining on hunger strike for 25 days, Wangchuk said he had received assurances from the government that no action would be taken against student protesters.
While Friday's meeting has opened a formal channel of communication between the government and the CJP, it remains uncertain whether the Centre will agree to the organisation's key demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. Attention is now focused on the next round of talks scheduled for Saturday.
