The Union government on Monday asked representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to call off the ongoing stir against irregularities in the conduct of examinations, but did not offer any concrete assurances to meet their demands, according to people familiar with the details.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah separately held a lengthy meeting with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, whose resignation the APC and other protesters are demanding, which lasted several hours.
Union Minister JP Nadda met RJD representatives Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and said that the group has approached the government to make their demands.
Nadda said on Channel
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Nada did not indicate that the government would accept the groups’ demands or provide any guarantees.
But Das said, “I met Union Minister JP Nadda at his residence for 10 minutes… Demands have been conveyed, including immediate resignation/dismissal of Dharmendra Pradhan. The minister assured us that 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!”
He also shared a letter submitted by the CJP with his demands, “The Minister also assured us that no further crackdown will take place in and around Jantar Mantar. However, there have been no reports so far of police stoppage.”
The letter states three demands: the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital, Pradhan’s resignation, and compensation. $1 Crore to the families of those NEET aspirants who lost their lives.
Leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party described the uproar as politically motivated. “The protests are over… Genuine students have returned to studies. New exams (NEET) have already been conducted and students are in the process of securing admissions. Those who are continuing the protests are political (people) who want power,” a senior BJP leader said. He reiterated that “no guarantees have been given to the RJD to meet their demands.”
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In response to a question about whether the government had any plans for new outreach and dialogue with students, the leader quoted above said: “…the meeting with Neda was like the government listening to their demands.”
While both houses of Parliament remained in abeyance on Monday, multiple rounds of meetings were held between Shah, Pradhan, Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Piyush Goyal and BJP chief Nitin Nabin. The leaders maintained a staunch silence on the discussions, but a second government official said the government had already taken steps to correct lapses in exam administration.
“The sit-in being conducted at Jantar Mantar is politically motivated. The platform is being misused by vested interests… Even after today’s attempt to organize a march to Parliament and the clashes with the police, the impression has been given that the government has forced the protesters to vacate the platform (at the protest site)…” the second employee said.
Several BJP leaders said the government wants to distinguish “between students and vested interests” so that the issue is not allowed to spark social unrest.
“There is a clear pattern to such protests. We have seen how the opposition and ill-intentioned people in the past have hijacked farmers’ protests and tried to create fear among minorities over the CAA. Now, with elections coming up in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, they want to use students to target the government… We will take all necessary measures including addressing the concerns of the bereaved families,” a third-party employee said.
The opposition intensified its attack. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: “These are our children, and this Parliament belongs to them, not anyone’s personal fiefdom.” In the Rajya Sabha, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of paper leaks, but the House adjourned soon after.
On the 10th, Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of failing the youth and attacking them. “Prime Minister Modi is the most anti-youth Prime Minister in India’s history – so anti-youth that he cannot even demand the resignation of failed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.”
Several opposition leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Mahua Mitra of the Trinamool Congress, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party, and Chandrashekar Azad of the Azad Samaj Party, visited the protest site.
