'No commitments made so far': CJP delegation meets JP Nadda, seeks Dharmendra Pradhan's removal

A two-member delegation of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday met Union Health Minister JP Nadda, who initiated talks on behalf of the government as protests over alleged examination irregularities intensified in central Delhi.

The delegation said it conveyed its key demands, including the immediate resignation or removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, but added that no assurance had yet been given.

"I have been at JP Nadda's residence since 12 noon. The demands have been conveyed, including immediate resignation/sacking of Dharmendra Pradhan. The Minister assured us he would 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!" CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said.

"The Minister has also assured us that no further crackdown will happen at Jantar Mantar and around. However, no reports yet of police stopping," Das added. 

Government Opens Dialogue

According to the CJP, Nadda assured the delegation that he would hold internal discussions with the government leadership and sought time before responding to the demands.

Das said he, along with the party's national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, met the minister at his residence for around 10 minutes after waiting for more than two hours.

"After waiting for more than 2 hours, @AshutoshRanka and I just met J.P. Nadda ji at his residence for 10 minutes. While we submitted a written letter with our demands, he has assured us that he will meanwhile speak internally. We are in that process. There is news of mass detention etc," Das wrote in a post on X.

Nadda also shared an update on X about the meeting. He said that this morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government, "and our discussions have been ongoing since 11:50 AM."

He said the meeting took place in a "cordial atmosphere." "An initial verbal discussion was held in detail with their delegation, and they submitted a written petition to me around 4 PM. I have requested all the protesters to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy," the minister added. 
 

Three Key Demands

Ranka said Nadda requested time to consult the government leadership on the CJP's demands, which include the immediate release of activist Sonam Wangchuk, the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and ₹1 crore compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who allegedly died by suicide.

Ranka also said the first outreach from the government came late Sunday night when the Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, contacted the organisation to establish a communication channel.

He said more substantive discussions began around 6 am on Monday, with agreement on the meeting with Nadda reached only around 11:45 am. 

"We finally met Nadda ji 10 mins ago, and he is checking with the leadership internally wrt our demands. @DelhiPolice should immediately stop using brute force on peaceful protestors," Ranka wrote on X.

Protests Continue Despite Police Action

The meeting came as thousands of protesters gathered near Parliament Street and attempted to march towards Parliament, demanding accountability over alleged examination irregularities and the resignation of Pradhan.

Police stopped the march with multiple layers of barricades and used lathicharge and tear gas to disperse protesters. Despite the action, many demonstrators refused to leave and continued raising slogans demanding the education minister's resignation.

Several protesters said they had anticipated resistance but remained determined to continue the agitation.