In the second meeting between representatives of the CJP-led youth protest and the Narendra Modi government, CJP spokespersons Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka submitted a message to ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh.
Here’s what the letter said
The letter was addressed to Health Minister JP Nadda, who also met the two CJP leaders on July 20, the day of the Parliament march that saw police use violence to force a retreat. This time, Nadda was accompanied by Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office.
“This is in relation to the ongoing protest of CJP at Jantar Mantar. We acknowledge the government’s desire to find a mutually beneficial solution. Over the past few days, we have held extensive consultations with our supporters and members across the country, and with the protesters at Jantar Mantar. We have reached a clear consensus that our demands, namely resignation of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, reinstatement of re-examination for NEET aspirants, and illegality of action against protesters are non-negotiable,” the CJP letter said.
She added that the government, the Rapid Action Force chief and the Delhi Police Commissioner “should publicly apologize to the students who were brutally assaulted by state forces.”
The statement added: “We request that all these demands be accepted as soon as possible, otherwise the movement will grow and spread across the country. Moreover, we will be grateful for the government’s response to the five-point demand charter on examination reforms. The charter will prove pivotal in achieving the larger structural reform required in the education system. We hope for an early solution.”
What happened at the meeting?
In a media interaction after the meeting at the Constitution Club of India, a “neutral” venue as per the CJP’s request, Ramka said: “Dharmendra Pradhan needs to resign or he should be sacked. We have spoken to the government in detail about this matter. The government has sought time till tomorrow afternoon to respond to this request.”
Ranka also said that during the meeting, the government agreed “in principle” to two demands made by the CJP. They are: compensating the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide, and not taking any legal action against the protesting students.
He said the CJP hopes that the government will dismiss Pradhan soon.
at home
Meanwhile, on a parallel track as Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi demanded that the issue of leaked papers be discussed in Parliament, the government on Thursday indicated that it was okay to hold a discussion “the way the opposition wants”.
This may mean implicit acceptance of the postponement request. This proposal is among the sharpest tools available to MPs who want to besiege the government in Parliament.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told the House that the message was conveyed to the Opposition through the Speaker. He said the government is ready to discuss the NEET paper leak in both the Houses and will accept the Opposition’s choice of date and format.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said earlier in the day that the format of the debate is itself open to negotiation. He said the House was prepared to take up every issue, and asked members to return after Question Hour, so that all parties could be consulted on the rule under which they wished to hold the debate. The House of Representatives was subsequently adjourned.
The exchange came on the 48th day of the protest launched by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) following the NEET-UG medical examination paper leak this year.
