NEET Row: Fresh Govt-CJP meeting tomorrow as Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation remains main demand | Today’s news
Union minister JP Nadda on Friday said the government would hold another meeting with Janta Cockroach Party representatives on Saturday after internal discussions on the issues raised during Friday’s meeting.
Nadda and another Union minister Jitendra Singh met CJP representatives in central Delhi on Friday. It was the second meeting between the two.
The minister said the CJP has put forward three major demands and five proposals for examination reforms.
After the meeting with CJP representatives, Nadda told reporters, “The meeting lasted for almost two hours. They had three main demands and five exam reform proposals. We told them that we will meet them again tomorrow afternoon and tell them about the discussion we had between the government.”
This is Nadda’s second meeting with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das and national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka in New Delhi. Union Minister Jitendra Singh was also present during today’s meeting.
CJP National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said after today’s proceedings, “The government has asked for time till tomorrow afternoon for our demand for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. We hope the government will remove him soon. The government has agreed in principle to two demands for compensation (for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide) and withdrawal of FIR students’ legal cases.”
The CJP maintained that its primary demand remains the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The government has agreed in principle to the two demands for compensation and quashing of the FIR against the students.
The CJP, represented by activists Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, agreed to the dialogue after the government reportedly accepted two of their conditional demands: that no legal action be taken against peaceful protesters and that families of students affected by the recent examination irregularities be given adequate compensation. However, the CJP remains firm on its main demand, seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The meeting came after social activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike after receiving a written assurance from the Union government on the issue of NEET exams and reforms in the country’s competitive examination system.
Modi’s reach
Prime Minister Modi posted a video on his X account late Thursday, saying the paper leak was “not a trivial matter” and “extremely painful” for hundreds of thousands of students and their parents. He said the culprits had been caught and his government was pushing for “speedy trials and severe punishments”.
“Tougher measures against paper leakage will come in tomorrow’s cabinet.”
Modi also said the Center was preparing a new law to curb the leak of trial documents and announced that the Speedy Trials and Severe Punishment Bill would be taken up by the Union Cabinet on Friday before being tabled in Parliament during Monsoon session.
PM Modi said the bill will be discussed in the union cabinet meeting. But during the usual Cabinet briefing on Friday afternoon, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw made no such announcement.
