Protests demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan intensified in Delhi on Thursday with agitators calling for a peaceful nationwide movement in every district on Friday even as the government tried to break the deadlock, said it was open to talks and made reshuffles to key bureaucrats in the education ministry.
Thousands of young people continued to flock to Jantar Mantar, chanting slogans and carrying placards, defying traffic restrictions, the closure of 17 metro stations, and police officers standing at some intersections and removing people from cars heading to the protest site.
The government suspended internet services for the second day in a row in central Delhi and establishments in the popular Connaught Place area – a stone’s throw from Jantar Mantar – closed early. Separately, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and opposition MPs tried to hold a protest at India Gate, but were repeatedly thwarted.
Follow live updates of the CJP protest here
Late night, the government transferred Higher Education Minister Vineet Joshi to the Panchayati Raj Ministry and replaced him with Naresh Pal Gangwar as part of a larger bureaucratic reshuffle at the secretary level across key ministries and departments. TK Anil Kumar has been appointed Secretary, School Education and Literacy Department.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that the government has made four attempts to hold a dialogue with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). “Wherever you want we can discuss, whether at (Union Minister) JP Nadda’s house or office,” Singh said.
Singh – who met climate activist Sonam Wangchuk at Medanta Hospital on Tuesday evening – was scheduled to meet representatives of the GPC in a second round of negotiations on Wednesday, but the meeting was canceled due to the GPC’s request for a neutral venue.
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“The government has sent four formal proposals for discussions with its representatives (CJP) since yesterday afternoon… This is a standing call to all our youth friends that the government is ready to hold discussions on all issues at your convenience, at any time,” Singh said.
The minister said that the government does not make the choice of location a matter of “prestige.” “JP Nadda and I will be present for discussions. Slowly, through discussion, we will move towards the solution. This is part of the ongoing series of steps taken by the government for the welfare of students. With all humility, I appeal to all of you to come and hold discussions,” he said.
But the protesters hit back, pointing out that neither Nadda – who met two RJD representatives on July 20 – nor Singh had spoken about their main demand: Pradhan’s dismissal.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka called for expanding the scope of the agitation outside the national capital. “Let’s make this protest national. On July 24, please organize peaceful protests across the country, in every city and every village,” he said even as the party shared a poster of the X, urging everyone to participate in peaceful protests across the country on Friday.
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Ranka confirmed that the government had communicated with the demonstrators through the police, but no decision had been reached regarding the location of the conference. “The government has reached out to talk – through the DCP. But the venue is under discussion because it has to be done at a neutral place. They are asking us to come to JP Nadda’s office or residence but that will not happen,” Ranka said.
If the government doesn’t budge, Ranka said, “we won’t budge either.” “All we can say is that time is running out for this government. If you hear the protesters’ slogans, they are no longer limited to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, they are demanding Modi’s resignation as well. The government must understand the sentiments of the people.”
When asked if the talks had reached an impasse, Ranka said: “There is no impasse because our demand is clear – Pradhan’s resignation. The government can come and tell us that it will not happen, and then we will leave it to the people of this country to decide.”
Addressing his supporters from the stage, Ranka referred to Singh’s statement that the government had reached out for talks. “Minister Jitendra Singh posted on social media that we have approached him four times and the CJP can speak anytime they want. We asked them to come to Jantar Mantar. They refused. They asked us to come to JP Nadda’s house. Should we go?” he asked the crowd, which responded negatively.
Ranka added: “Then we will not go. The public has decided.”
According to people familiar with the details, the ministers are expected to meet with AKP representatives on Friday.
The CJP first emerged out of a controversial statement made by Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, earlier this year, had millions of followers on social media before launching a sit-in protest on June 6 demanding Pradhan’s resignation over repeated leaks of question papers. After days of listless crowds, the movement was galvanized by a hunger strike and the forced deportation of activist Sonam Wangchuk last week.
The crowds swelled over the weekend, and by Monday morning, queues of people — many of them students, first-time agitators and young professionals — braved persistent monsoon rains and heavy police barricades to join what has become the largest street protests in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term.
Tensions have flared intermittently at the protest site, most dramatically at around 8.30pm on Wednesday when clashes between protesters and police left five agitators and five police officers injured. Scenes of the clashes – which broke out on Sansad Marg, outside the main protest site of Jantar Mantar – showed hundreds of people in the streets, stone-throwing and tear gas shelling, and dozens of police and paramilitary personnel in riot gear hitting with batons.
On Thursday, protesters and police came face-to-face through barricades at the Sansad Marg-Tolstoy Road intersection, plastic bottles were thrown at security personnel, and repeated announcements urged people to keep the peace. Despite the tense atmosphere, no major untoward incident was reported.
Delhi Police beefed up security at the site and questioned everyone approaching the Sansad Marg side about their destination. Those heading to the protest venue were asked to take alternative routes via Kerala House, Janpath or Jai Singh Road.
The CJP deployed Sikh volunteers at key points, sitting on top of barricades to ensure that protesters did not abuse security personnel or throw plastic bottles at them. “A lot of people resort to throwing plastic bottles at them,” said Naseeb Singh, 19. “It can escalate into a dangerous situation, so we have to make sure they don’t do that.”
The Justice and Development Party said that the authorities are trying to thwart this peaceful uproar. “Our protest from day one was peaceful. But it was infiltrated by anti-social elements. Our team is identifying the infiltrators and asking them to leave,” Ranka said.
Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Nabin attacked the opposition when he called on them to discuss youth-related issues in Parliament. “The entire opposition, including the Congress, is evading the discussion because they know that once they reach the House floor, their double standards will be fully exposed before the people of the country and the youth,” he said.
