The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday stuck to its demand for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and provided the government with a 24-hour ultimatum, saying it would restart its march to Parliament if the Union Education Minister did not quit or if he was not removed. The prevailing view in the government, however, remains that the demand should not be met.
Union Ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh held talks with CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at the Constitution Club during the day, seeking 24 hours to get back to them over their demand for Pradhan’s resignation. However, the government is unlikely to budge, leading to a stalemate.
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“The government cannot be seen as succumbing to the pressure of any protesting forces or groups. Tomorrow, another group could come up and demand the resignation of other ministers or even the Prime Minister. There will not be any end to it,” said a source following a meeting between senior ministers. On Friday, the government sacked 47 officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA) amid a major overhaul for the body that conducts the NEET exam. The leak of the NEET exam paper triggered the CJP’s protest movement.
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Both Das and Ranka are learnt to have informed the ministers that the CJP would go ahead with the proposed “Chalo Sansad (Let’s go to Parliament)” march if Pradhan did not resign in 24 hours. Nadda and Singh asked the two CJP spokespersons to wait till the top leadership took a call on this demand.
“However, the top leadership does not seem to be in a mood to consider the demand. The Prime Minister has made it clear that the government is ready to take all the possible steps to make the examination process as foolproof as possible,” said the source.
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Compensation issue
Nadda and Singh are expected to meet Das and Ranka again on Saturday. Sources said the Union Ministers on Friday conveyed to the CJP representatives that it was ready to accept their demand that no punitive measures be taken against the protesters.
The ministers also conveyed to them that the government had agreed to look into ways to compensate the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide following the paper leak. However, they urged the CJP not to announce that the families of the victims would receive Rs 1 crore as compensation.
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“The government will see the rules and procedures for providing compensation in these circumstances. The District Magistrates of the respective districts have been asked to look into the details of each family. The government has to see that it does not create any wrong precedent and it should withstand judicial scrutiny too,” said a source.
Monsoon Session
With the students continuing to insist that Pradhan must go, there is uncertainty about the rest of the Monsoon Session, the first week of which was mostly washed out. On Friday, the government managed to introduce in the Rajya Sabha the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, which deems any obstruction or insult to the “Vande Mataram”, the national song, a criminal offence.
A united Opposition has also adopted the position that Pradhan must resign before Parliament discusses the NEET paper leak. However, the Treasury benches said there would be “pressure on the Opposition to allow the House to function” as the government prepares to introduce a draft Bill to ensure stricter punishments for paper leaks, including a fine up to Rs 10 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the draft Bill late on Thursday night. On Friday, the Union Cabinet cleared the amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
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“The government is contemplating seeking permission from the Lok Sabha Speaker to introduce the Bill immediately after the House meets at 11 am, skipping Question Hour. This will make it difficult for the Opposition to disrupt the House and force an adjournment,” said a minister.
“Now that the Prime Minister has taken the issue into his hands, we will be able to break the gridlock,” said a BJP MP, referring to Modi’s late-night video promising a tough law on exam paper leaks. The PM has also promised fast-track courts for trying paper leak cases.