GUWAHATI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday, July 24, reiterated that the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan remains a non-negotiable demand, following the second round of talks with the Centre over the ongoing student protests against the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
ALSO READ: 53-Year-Old Elephant Swept Away by Dikhow River Rescued in Assam's Sivasagar
CJP spokespersons Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das met Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh in New Delhi as part of the government's continued engagement with the student outfit, which has been leading protests at Jantar Mantar.
Following the meeting, the CJP claimed that the Centre had sought time until Saturday afternoon to respond to its demand for Pradhan's resignation.
"The Central Government has expressed its agreement to provide compensation to the families of the deceased students and to withdraw the FIRs registered against the protesters, but we will accept nothing less than the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. The government has sought time till tomorrow afternoon to respond to this demand," a CJP representative said.
According to the student outfit, the Centre also agreed in principle to two of its demands- providing compensation to the families of NEET aspirants who allegedly died by suicide following the examination controversy and ensuring that no legal action is taken against student protesters.
This was the second round of discussions between the Centre and the CJP, which has been spearheading month-long protests demanding sweeping reforms to the country's examination system and the resignation of the Education Minister over the NEET-UG paper leak case.
The demand for Pradhan's resignation has remained at the centre of the protests, which escalated on July 20 when demonstrators attempted to march to Parliament. The CJP has warned that it will intensify its agitation if the minister does not step down.
A third round of talks between CJP leaders and the two Union ministers is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda described the discussions as "cordial" but did not confirm whether the government had accepted any of the CJP's demands.
"They had three key demands and five reform suggestions for exams. We have told them that we will meet them again tomorrow afternoon," Nadda said.
The meeting comes as the Centre steps up efforts to address public concerns over examination irregularities and defuse the ongoing protests.
Earlier in the day, the Union Cabinet approved a bill proposing stricter punishments for those involved in examination paper leaks. The decision followed
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement that the government would introduce stronger legal measures and fast-track action to curb paper leaks and strengthen the integrity of competitive examinations.
