Abhishek Vij
The student protest, led by the Cockroach Janata Party, which had been ongoing at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for nearly a month over the NEET paper leak issue, has finally ended. Their biggest demand, that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should resign and take responsibility, was met. The end of the protest was natural. Union Ministers JP Nadda and Dr. Jitendra Singh, along with CJP spokespersons Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka, announced the end of the protest at a joint press conference, saying that all protesters present at Jantar Mantar should now return home. Ashutosh Ranka stated that three rounds of talks were held with the government in the past few days. All three of our demands have been met.
These demands included the resignation of the Education Minister, withdrawal of all cases filed against students, and compensation for the victims of the NEET paper leak. Previously, in support of the student movement, social activist Sonam Wangchuk had undertaken a 26-day hunger strike, which ended happily on the night of July 23rd when, after talks with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Dr. Jitendra Singh, Wangchuk announced the end of his fast by drinking juice. The student movement was adamant that they would accept nothing less than the resignation of the Education Minister.
To resolve this issue, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, demonstrating great maturity, resigned. While giving information about his resignation on X, he said an important thing that “anti-national forces should not take advantage of the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and in the country, the unity of the country should be maintained, the future of not a single student of India should be entangled in legal complications, our children should spend their time in studies, focus on building a career, keeping this in mind, I have sent my resignation to the Honorable Prime Minister.” Dharmendra Pradhan said that he respects the youth of the country. Realizing the dreams of India’s young generation has been the moral resolve of all of us in political and social life.
On Friday, talks were held again between CJP representatives and the government. Speaking on behalf of the government, Union Minister JP Nadda said, “Our third meeting also included lengthy discussions. The students presented four points, and their demands were discussed. Their demands have been accepted. Regarding the five-point proposal, we say we will consider exam reforms and then inform them.” During this meeting, CJP spokespersons clarified, “During the protest, some people attempted to defame the CJP. However, we clearly state that the rioters are not our supporters. Neither are those who misbehaved with the media. During the stage management, we ourselves appealed for peace and no violence.” Sourav Das also stated that there is no place for violence in the CJP’s protests.
Two things have been maintained from day one: peace and adherence to the Constitution. Meanwhile, several leaders, including Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and BJP President Nitin Naveen, responded to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Kiren Rijiju thanked Dharmendra Pradhan for his contributions to the education system. Nitin Naveen thanked Dharmendra Pradhan for his selfless work. We believe the central government and the Education Minister made a mature decision, setting aside their egos in the interest of students. This should not be seen as anyone’s victory or defeat