New Delhi: The Centre has sought time till Saturday afternoon to decide on Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said on Friday after a meeting with Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh.
Discussions were held for more than two hours between the two sides, following which Nadda said that another meeting has been planned for Saturday afternoon.
CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das and national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka attended the meeting at Vithal Patel House.
The government said that the CJP leaders had presented three primary demands along with five suggestions for reforms in the examination system. Nadda said that the government would hold internal discussions before responding to the demands, as reported by The Times of India.
The CJP, however, maintained that its principal demand remains the resignation or removal of Pradhan. They conveyed to the government that the demand was non-negotiable, party leaders said.
The leaders also raised concerns over the alleged detention of protesters by Delhi Police. The party claimed that students, volunteers, lawyers and even people delivering food were being detained while travelling to or from the protest site at Jantar Mantar.
“Another issue we raised was that the Delhi Police has been detaining a large number of young men and women since last night, throughout the day, and even today. Those being detained include people leaving Jantar Mantar to return home, those heading towards the protest site, and even those delivering food. The police are selectively detaining young people and are also pushing and manhandling lawyers. We informed the government that this should not happen because it only deepens the trust deficit. The government’s initial response was that no such incidents were taking place. However, it assured us that if such incidents are occurring, they would not be allowed to continue, and that the Delhi Police would be instructed accordingly,” Das told reporters.
“Regarding the main demand for the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the issue was discussed in detail with the government delegation. We conveyed in very clear terms that nothing short of Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation or his removal from the Union Cabinet would be acceptable. Across the country, protests are taking place in different places. There is widespread anger and resentment among the youth, and the sentiment is very clear… Dharmendra Pradhan has to resign, and he needs to be sacked. The government has sought time till tomorrow afternoon to respond on this demand,” 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, the CJP claimed.