The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has ruled out making any compromise ahead of a fresh round of negotiations with the Indian government, insisting that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign before further talks can move forward.
The third round of discussions is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, but CJP leaders say the minister`s resignation remains their primary demand.
"Dharmendra Pradhan`s resignation is non-negotiable. If the government`s answer is no, there is no point in holding further discussions," CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said in a post on X.
The latest talks come after Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met CJP representatives for nearly two hours at New Delhi`s Constitution Club on Friday.
According to CJP leaders, they placed three key demands before the government: the resignation of the education minister, a guarantee that no legal action would be taken against protesting students, and Rs 1 crore in compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following the alleged NEET examination paper leak.
The group said government representatives had, in principle, agreed to consider protection for protesters and compensation for affected families.
However, the issue of Pradhan`s resignation remains unresolved.
Speaking after Friday`s meeting, Health Minister JP Nadda said the government would examine the demands before responding during Saturday`s discussions.
"The meeting lasted for almost two hours.
They presented three major demands and proposed five reforms to the examination system.
We will meet them again on Saturday and convey the government`s position," he said.
Government sources, however, indicated that the Centre has no plans to remove Pradhan and continues to back him.
According to the sources, the government believes a resignation would not be justified despite the controversy and intends to continue carrying out its responsibilities under the mandate it received from voters.
In response to the examination scandal, the government has announced a series of measures aimed at preventing future paper leaks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said fast-track courts will be established to deal with such cases, while amendments are being prepared to impose tougher punishments and higher fines on those involved.
The Centre has also replaced the education secretary, removed 47 officials from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and pledged sweeping reforms of the examination authority.
Ranka dismissed those measures as inadequate, saying administrative changes alone cannot address public concerns.
He maintained that the education minister must accept responsibility for the repeated examination paper leak allegations and the student deaths linked to the NEET controversy, reiterating that Pradhan`s resignation remains the party`s central demand.
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