Why government is talking to CJP, but stopping short of concessions

“The protest is over,” he asserted after a huddle by a group of ministers that included Pradhan and BJP president Nitin Nabin in Parliament House. “The meeting of Naddaji was to listen to the students… But we have not given them any assurance that the Government would consider their demands,” the Minister said.

Sources in the BJP said the Government decided to meet the protesting students as the situation had escalated on the first day of the Monsoon session and “created very bad optics”. “Naturally, the Government cannot be seen as insensitive to the protesting students,” a party leader said.

Reflecting the thinking within the Government, meanwhile, the senior Minister asserted that the “real students” have ended the protests and “gone back to their classes” and “the results of the exams also have come out”, referring to the NEET-UG results released last week. “Those who remain at the protest site are the ones who want to politicise the issue. Those who are still protesting are people who want power,” the Minister asserted.

Earlier, Nadda met CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka even as security forces wielded batons and fired tear gas at the protesters, some of whom had reached just a few metres away from Parliament.

Parliament security personnel locked almost all the gates to the building premises even as senior ministers were huddled inside Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s office in Parliament House. While Pradhan remained inside Shah’s room for hours, other ministers such as Nadda, Kiren Rijiju and Piyush Goyal joined later. Nabin, too, was seen going inside Shah’s office.

Nadda said the meeting with CJP representatives took place after the protesters sought one. “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,” he posted on X at 4.37 pm.

“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. I have requested all the protesters to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy,” Nadda posted.

CJP spokesperson Saurav Das tweeted that he, along with Ranka, had been at Nadda’s residence since 12 noon. “The demands have been conveyed, including immediate resignation/ sacking of Dharmendra Pradhan. The Minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level. However, no commitments have been made so far. The peaceful protesters will not rest until the demand is met,” Das wrote on X.

The CJP’s key demands include the release of Wangchuk from government-run Safdarjung hospital, where protesters claim he is being held against his will; dismissal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over lapses in the conduct of NEET-UG; and financial compensation of Rs 1 crore each for families of students who committed suicide due to the NEET-UG exam leak.

Sources in the Government said there will be no “immediate action” on these demands. “The Minister (Pradhan) is unlikely to put in his papers soon. Everything has a procedure to follow. But the Government may take up the issue of providing compensation to the families of NEET students who committed suicide. That’s because we cannot take any death lightly,” said a senior party leader.

However, another Minister said: “There will be discussions within the party and between the Government and officials to see to what extent we can go in meeting their demands.”