Guwahati: Union Minister J.P. Nadda on Monday met leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and urged protesters to end their sit-in in central Delhi, even as the group said its agitation would continue until its demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is met.
The meeting took place after Delhi Police used tear gas and batons to disperse CJP protesters during the party’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march towards Parliament.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said he and fellow spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka met Nadda at his residence for about 10 minutes and handed over a letter outlining the group’s demands.
“While we submit a written letter with our demands, he has assured us that he will meanwhile speak internally. We are in that process,” Das said in a post on X.
According to Das, Nadda assured the delegation that he would raise the matter at the appropriate level but did not make any commitments.
“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 said.
The CJP also shared a copy of the letter on X, alleging that Pradhan was “directly responsible for multiple paper leaks, including NEET-UG 2026, and other exam fiascos, most recently being CBSE 12th portal chaos and CUET exam delay.”
The letter further alleged that no systemic corrective measures had been taken and accused the minister of failing to address recurring issues in the examination system.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Police stopped CJP protesters marching towards Parliament on the opening day of the Monsoon Session by erecting multiple barricades in central Delhi. As protesters attempted to move forward, police used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd.
Despite the police action, demonstrators continued raising slogans against the Centre and reiterated their demand for Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET paper leak.
The CJP also alleged that Delhi Police used excessive force during the protest. Party spokesperson Das claimed that Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Geetanjali Angmo, was assaulted during the crackdown and that a 12-year-old girl sustained a head injury. He also alleged that dozens of protesters were injured. The allegations could not be independently verified, and Delhi Police had not issued an immediate response.
Das had earlier claimed that CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had been detained by Delhi Police. He later retracted the claim, stating on X that Dipke had neither been detained nor arrested.
The protest is part of the CJP-led campaign seeking Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. The agitation has also drawn support from Opposition leaders, who have criticised the Centre over its handling of the protest and the removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk from the protest site on July 18.