New Delhi: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday told the government that its demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is non-negotiable and warned that if it is not accepted at the earliest, the protests would grow only bigger.
CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka held a two-hour meeting — the third this week — with Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh at the Vithalbhai Patel House here to hammer out an amicable solution to the ongoing protests over the NEET paper leak and other irregularities in the exam system.
During the day, the government approved a draft bill to ensure stricter punishments for paper leaks, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an unprecedented midnight video message, announced that a bill containing provisions for strong action against paper leaks will be introduced in Parliament.
“We told the Union ministers that our demand for the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan is non-negotiable,” Das told reporters after the meeting.
After Modi’s midnight message, the CJP maintained the “strictest action” by the government would be the removal of Pradhan and that its protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until he resigns.
In a letter to the government representatives Friday, the CJP spelt out its stand.
It acknowledged the government’s “eagerness to find a mutually beneficial solution” and said, “Over the last few days, we have held extensive consultations with supporters and members across the country and protesters at Jantar Mantar. We have arrived at a clear consensus that our demands, namely the resignation of Mr Dharmendra Pradhan, Rs 1 crore compensation for NEET victims, and no legal action against protestors, are non-negotiable.”
“Furthermore, the government of India, the head of the Rapid Action Force, and the Delhi Police Commissioner ought to publicly apologise to the students who were brutally thrashed by their forces,” it said.
Nadda said the ministers heard their demands and conveyed that they will get back to the CJP. “We will again meet on Saturday,” he said.
The CJP also requested that the demands be accepted at the earliest. If not, the movement would only grow bigger and spread across the country, it warned.
“Further, we would appreciate the government’s response to our five-point demand charter on examination reforms. The charter will prove critical in bringing about the larger structural reforms needed in the education system,” the letter stated.
With the protests refusing to die down and the crowd continuing to swell at Jantar Mantar, the government has directed the airlifting of 10 more CRPF companies from Chhattisgarh to deploy in Delhi to bolster security measures.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has also restricted the leaves of its Delhi Metro security unit due to the protests.
Internet and metro services also remained disrupted for most of the day.
This was the third official meeting between the CJP and the government. Nadda held two back-to-back meetings with Das and Ranka on July 20 at his residence. That was the day thousands of protesters responded to the call ‘Sansad Chalo’ and began marching towards Parliament only to be pushed back by police batons and teargas. Scores of people were injured.
Friday’s meeting took place hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike late on Thursday night following government assurances on his key demands.
The CJP had earlier declined the government’s invitation to hold talks at a minister’s residence or office, insisting that discussions should take place at a neutral venue.
The Congress took potshots at the government over Modi’s video message, saying when Parliament is in session, the prime minister should make a statement on the floor of the House and not deliver a “one-sided Mann Ki Baat”.
It also said the “desperate and hassled-looking” prime minister finally broke his silence on the paper leaks and claimed that his “lack of commitment to accountability is evident from his failure to even mention the student protests or the brutality unleashed on them”.
The CJP later announced that it would launch a dedicated website to gather photographs and videos from protesters to identify police personnel allegedly involved in the July 20 crackdown, saying it would seek FIRs against the officers and move court.
Spokesperson Das alleged that police personnel assaulted students and molested women protesters during the police action.
The Rapid Action Force (RAF) said it has initiated an inquiry into allegations of its personnel using disproportionate force and firing pellet guns during the student protests.
Meanwhile, in a major crackdown in the NEET paper leak controversy, the National Testing Agency terminated 47 officials and is set to pursue legal and criminal action against some, officials said on Friday.
The move comes a day after Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi was shunted out to the Panchayati Raj Ministry.
“The NTA is set to undergo an overhaul and more reformative actions will follow. At least 47 officials have been terminated, and legal and criminal action will be initiated against some of them,” a senior official said.
Outrage surrounding paper leaks and the CBSE digital evaluation glitches has triggered a series of shunting of top officials.
Students’ anger has spilt out in the form of a huge protest that is taking place at Jantar Mantar.
The protesters and the opposition parties have been demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the issue.
The NTA has issued advertisements for a set of professional appointments at the level of General Manager and has separately opened the engagement of sixteen Young Professionals through the Pratibha Setu portal of the Union Public Service Commission.
“Further recruitment and empanelment actions across the ten functional verticals recommended by the High-Level Committee of Experts will follow in the coming weeks.
“The measures notified today, together with the Expression of Interest for a fresh empanelment of Subject Matter Experts and Translators issued separately, are part of a systematic strengthening of the academic, operational, technological and integrity capabilities of the NTA,” the official added.
