Centre holds talks and keeps dialogue open amid CJP and Opposition protests over NEET leak

Mumbai, July 22: Social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying violence and police action during the students' ongoing protest in Delhi were "deeply distressing", and asserted that "dialogue" was always preferable to confrontation in a democracy.In the letter, he also said that taking the resignation of a minister would not weaken the government but send a strong message to other ministers about accountability and improve governance.Hazare's letter comes in the wake of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and opposition parties, including the Congress, seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over irregularities in the NEET exam.VIDEO | Ralegan Siddhi, Maharashtra: Social activist Anna Hazare speaks about the protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, Delhi and activist Sonam Wanghchuk being taken away by the police to hospital from the protest site.(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/L0ECKreglT— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 18, 2026 Hazare Stresses Ministerial AccountabilityIn the letter, he said, "If accountability is fixed and the resignation of a minister is taken, the government will not lose power. Rather, it will send a clear message to other ministers that if they do not discharge the responsibilities of their departments properly, they too will have to relinquish their posts. This will make the functioning of the government more accountable and effective."Hazare said the reports of violence and police action during the ongoing protest in New Delhi were deeply distressing, and added that violence, damage to public property and excessive use of force should be avoided under all circumstances in a democracy.The Gandhian further stated that millions of young people across the country were worried over issues such as examination paper leaks, delays in recruitment processes and unemployment, and these concerns should not be viewed merely as law-and-order issues but as expressions of public anguish.Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Alleges Systemic Failure Behind 152 Paper Leaks, Demands Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's RemovalNEET Irregularities Raise ConcernsReferring to the NEET examination, Hazare said that allegations of question paper leaks and serious irregularities had surfaced in 2024 and similar incidents had again emerged this year when around 2.2 million students appeared for the examination.He also referred to media reports claiming that 22 students died by suicide due to despair and alleged irregularities in the re-examination results.The activist also maintained that whenever irregularities or scams came to light, responsibility was often fixed only on lower-level officials while the government claimed credit for positive outcomes, asserting that the ultimate responsibility rested with those occupying senior positions.Also Watch:Calls For Dialogue With ProtestersHazare wrote that students and parents had been peacefully protesting for the past 25 days seeking the resignation of the minister concerned, and said the government should respond with accountability rather than treating the issue only as a law-and-order matter.Activist Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly removed from his venue of fast without any meaningful dialogue, he said, and alleged that no government representative or secretary-level official had engaged with the protesters despite the prolonged agitation.A dialogue was always preferable to confrontation in a democracy, the social activist said, urging the Prime Minister not to view the voice of the people as the voice of political opponents.The government should patiently listen to the protesters, build trust and resolve differences through constructive dialogue in keeping with Gandhian principles and democratic values, he added.JP Nadda Hits Back At Rahul Gandhi Over 'Selective' Stand On Paper LeaksCJP Protest ContinuesThe CJP agitation began on June 20, demanding accountability over alleged examination irregularities, reforms in the education system and the resignation of Pradhan.Wangchuk, who joined the protest on June 28 and has been on an indefinite hunger strike since then, has continued his fast from Medanta Hospital after being shifted there from Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi following a Delhi High Court order.Wangchuk has said he will continue the fast until accountability is fixed in the education system or political leaders assure him that the issue will be taken up in Parliament.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

New Delhi: Amid escalating protests demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijet Dipke has said that "If the government wants to talk, it has to come here. It must abide by our conditions.""We request the government to agree. Its arrogance must end," he added, as reported by NDTV. The statement comes after it was reported that the Centre is set to hold another round of talks with representatives of the CJP on Wednesday.Although no official communication regarding the second round of talks has been made public by the government, reportedly the Centre was set to hold another round of talks with representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led student protest on Wednesday.“This morning, the police reached out to us again and informed us that JP Nadda ji wanted to speak with us. They invited us to his residence, but we categorically declined. We are not going to anyone's house or office. A 'janata darbar' is being held here, and if the ministers want to talk, they should come to the people,” CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said while speaking to reporters.VIDEO | Delhi: CJP Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das says, “This morning, the police reached out to us again and informed us that BJP national president JP Nadda wanted to speak with us. They invited us to his residence, but we categorically declined. We are not going to anyone's… pic.twitter.com/GFJMVU7nak— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 22, 2026 CJP open to neutral venueHe also said that if the government is concerned about security at the protest site, they are willing to meet at a neutral venue near Jantar Mantar, adding that they are still waiting to hear back from them.'Maratha Brothers Will Come To Delhi If Needed': Manoj Jarange-Patil Visits Jantar Mantar Amid CJP Protest; Assures Support After Meeting Abhijeet Dipke“The government must have the intention to accept our demands. There is no point in calling us for meaningless discussions. Our time is valuable. Thousands of people are still participating in the protest, and we have to manage that as well... The government should clarify whether it genuinely intends to engage with us,” he added.Earlier on Tuesday, Dipke accused the Centre of wasting his party's time by initiating talks while simultaneously cracking down on protesters demanding action over the alleged NEET paper leak.Addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, where the protest entered its 32nd day, Dipke claimed the government's actions during Monday's meeting with Union Health Minister JP Nadda raised questions about its intentions. He alleged that while the government invited a CJP delegation for discussions, police were taking action against protesters on the streets.

New Delhi: Amid escalating protests over Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, the Centre is set to hold another round of talks with representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led student protest on Wednesday.Earlier last night, Union Health Minister JP Nadda met activist Sonam Wangchuk at Medanta Hospital, and now the Centre is "hopeful of a breakthrough," News18 reported, quoting sources.Fresh round of talksUnion Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, is expected to meet CJP representatives shortly.TV Actor Sehban Azim Injured During Police Lathi-Charge At CJP Protest In Delhi: 'My Hand Is Swollen, It Was Extremely Heartbreaking'Reportedly, the key issue discussed during the midnight meeting was Wangchuk's demand that the ongoing student protest be taken up for discussion in Parliament. The government is understood to have conveyed that it is agreeable to a parliamentary discussion, a move that could help break the impasse.Earlier on Tuesday, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke accused the Centre of wasting his group's time by initiating talks while simultaneously cracking down on protesters demanding action over the alleged NEET paper leak.He claimed the delegation was deliberately kept waiting for five hours so that key leaders would remain away from the protest site during the police action. "The whole plan was to scatter the team. You call for talks on one hand and unleash batons on students on the other," he alleged. The Centre has not responded to these allegations.First meeting with CentreMonday's meeting marked the first interaction between the Centre and the protesters. Nadda met CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at his residence on Monday afternoon. He heard their demands and appealed to them to end their protest.

New Delhi: Congress leaders, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal and Pawan Khera today held a protest at Lok Kalyan Marg, demanding the resignations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protest came hours after both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day with the opposition seeking discussion on the NEET-UG paper leak and other issues of education sector amid protest in the national capital. Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of "lathi-charge" on protestors in Rajya Sabha on Monday and Tuesday. The Congress MPs also staged a foot march towards the Prime Minister's residence.कांग्रेस पार्टी छात्रों के हक और उनकी जायज़ मांगों के साथ है। हम प्रधानमंत्री निवास के बार धरने पर बैठे हैं। इस बुज़दिल तानाशाह सरकार को लाठीचार्ज और बल प्रयोग पर जवाब देना होगा। मोदी-शाह हमारे युवाओं के गुनहगार हैं, उनको इस्तीफ़ा देना पड़ेगा। pic.twitter.com/lQojRwouQB— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 21, 2026 Govt Keeping Doors Of Dialogue Open For CJP Protestors: Report In an X post, Rahul Gandhi said they have marched to PM Modi's house "to demand answers from him for the brutalities against young students yesterday". "The Government doesn't want to take any accountability, or does it want to have a debate on it in Parliament. PM and HM must resign for destroying the future of India's youth," he said. Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal met student protestors who were injured in a police crackdown in the national capital, with Congress saying PM Modi should apologise for what it called "brutality" against the country's youth. Union Health Minister JP Nadda also visited RML hospital and met the injured protesters. The Congress stated that the protesting students' demand remains straightforward: the Centre to take accountability for the alleged NEET paper leak and the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Delhi: Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K.C. Venugopal, and others, held a protest at Lok Kalyan Marg. Police arrived at the protest site pic.twitter.com/cSLT0XYMY9— IANS (@ians_india) July 21, 2026 'You Need Not Fear, We Are With You': Arvind Kejriwal Assures Families Of Student Protesters, Launches Legal And Medical Aid Helpline | Video In a post on X, Congress said, "Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi ji, and Organisation General Secretary KC Venugopal met with the students injured during the police brutality and lathi charge in yesterday's youth protest. Today, the future of students in the country is being trampled, and lathis are being rained down on those who raise their voices, for which Narendra Modi should apologise. The students' demand is absolutely clear - the government should take responsibility for the paper leak, and Dharmendra Pradhan should resign." Nadda on Monday met a delegation of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which made three demands to the government. He appealed to the protesters to end their sit-in. Nadda, who is Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, said in a post on X that this morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government. He said discussions began around 11:50 am and the meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. Delhi HC Allows Sonam Wangchuk To Be Shifted To Medanta Hospital "There was detailed verbal discussion first and a written petition was given to me at about 4 pm. I requested all the protesters to end their protest and assist the administration in restoring normalcy," he added. Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das later said they placed three demands before Nadda, including resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the NEET aspirants, "more than 20 of whom have lost their lives". (Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

New Delhi: Amid escalating protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over the demand of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan regarding the NEET paper leak, the government has reportedly said that it is keeping the doors of dialogue open with protesters, NDTV reported, quoting sources.However, there is no timeframe for talks, and a call on further engagement will be taken based on circumstances. Earlier in the day, Union Health Minister JP Nadda met the injured people at Delhi's Lady Hardinge Medical College.#WATCH | Delhi: Union Minister JP Nadda arrives at Lady Hardinge Medical College to meet the people injured in the protest yesterday. pic.twitter.com/DhuxBAn2wk— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2026 Earlier on Monday, the first interaction between the government and the protesters took place. Nadda met CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at his residence on Monday afternoon. He heard their demands and appealed to them to end their protest.आज सुबह पहली बार प्रदर्शनकारियों की ओर से सरकार के साथ बातचीत करने का प्रस्ताव आया और सुबह 11:50 AM से ही हमारी बातचीत जारी है।सौहार्दपूर्ण वातावरण में मुलाकात हुई। उनके डेलीगेशन के साथ विस्तार से पहले मौखिक चर्चा हुई और उनके द्वारा लगभग 4 बजे मुझे लिखित याचिका दी गई।मैंने… pic.twitter.com/HLCl20RBSp— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) July 20, 2026 When questioned about the talks on Tuesday he said, "It was fine, it is always fine..."#WATCH | Delhi: As he arrives for NDA Parliamentary Party Meeting, 'Mangal Milan', on meeting with CJP yesterday, Union Minister JP Nadda says, "It was fine, it is always fine..." pic.twitter.com/vgTvIU5ZaI— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2026 CJP has put forth three demands before the Union Minister: the release of Sonam Wangchuk with no restrictions on his movement, the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Rs 1 crore in compensation for all NEET aspirants who died by suicide following the NEET 2026 paper leaks.Elvish Yadav On CJP Protest In Delhi: 'Students Should Not Have Been Subjected To Violence'Meanwhile, on Sonam Wangchuk's request to be shifted to a private hospital, a division bench on Tuesday permitted his transfer to Medanta Hospital, granting relief to the hunger-striking activist and his family.