Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday questioned the government's design behind starting talks with the protesters. Dipke alleged
that the central government engaged in talks with CJP while simultaneously carrying out a police crackdown on protesters. "The government wasted our time. They invited our delegation. They seized their mobiles. Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were, in a way, under house arrest at J P Nadda's residence," Dipke said, as quoted by PTI, addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, where the protest over the NEET paper leak issue entered its 32nd day. "The whole plan was to scatter the team, so that when there is chaos, no one is there. That is why they kept them sitting for five hours and wasted our time. You call for talks on one hand, and unleash batons on students on the other hand," he alleged. The Centre has not responded to the allegations. However, several netizens pointed out that the photos of the meeting were released by the CJP itself, and they had their mobile phones during their meeting with the Union Minister. Check Live Updates Here From the CJP, spokespersons Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das held talks with Union Minister JP Nadda on Monday. They met Nadda at his residence and conveyed key demands, including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. While the minister assured that the issues would be discussed at an appropriate level, no concrete commitments were made, the CJP said. CJP further claimed that Nadda assured there would be no further crackdown on protesters at Jantar Mantar, even as demonstrations continue. On meeting with CJP spokespersons, Union Minister JP Nadda said, "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. 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." Nadda said that he requested all the protesters to "end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy." A day after the Parliament march, during which several police personnel and protesters were injured, the students and CJP supporters returned to Jantar Mantar, vowing to continue their stir.
On Tuesday, the Jantar Mantar remained packed through the afternoon as students, joined by parents and supporters, raised slogans over the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination and reiterated their demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
(With inputs from PTI)
