‘No information’: MEA on foreign funding allegations behind CJP protest at Jantar Mantar | Today’s news
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday dismissed allegations of foreign funding to the Abhijeet Deepak-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has been leading student protests at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere in the country.
“I have no information to share with you on this matter,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a press conference in response to a question about the funding of the CJP’s protest.
The MEA’s reaction came after Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey alleged that anti-India powers were behind the Jantar Mantar protest. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya also made a similar claim. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also termed the Jantar Mantar protesters as ‘Dahshadgards’ (extremists).
The protest at Jantar Mantar began on June 20. The government has completed two rounds of negotiations with representatives of the CJP. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, India’s education minister, over the NEET paper leak.
Union Minister JP Nadda and External Affairs Minister Jitendra Singh met the CJP delegation today.
CJP officials said the government had agreed in principle to two of their demands and had asked for a day to consider the third – the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
Next meeting on Saturday
The next meeting is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
“We have made it very clear that nothing short of Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation or his removal from the Union Cabinet would be acceptable,” CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka told reporters after the meeting in Delhi.
Nadda, who also met protesters in New Delhi on Monday, said the government had “heard their views” and was expected to respond in follow-up talks.
New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest site saw bouts of unrest and violence during the week, which snowballed after police fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters trying to march towards Parliament.
Nothing short of Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation or his removal from the Union Cabinet would be acceptable.
The movement spread beyond the capital and large protests were held in several other cities, including Kolkata and Mumbai.
