NEW DELHI : The talks were held at the Constitution Club near Parliament on Friday between two senior government ministers and two CJP representatives. The meeting came hours after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike following negotiations with the government and concerns that the protests could turn violent.
Following the meeting, CJP leaders said the government had asked for time until Saturday afternoon to respond to their demand for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protests erupted after a national medical entrance examination taken by nearly two million students was cancelled following the leak of its question paper. What initially began as an online satirical movement has since grown into one of the largest youth-led demonstrations faced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said the group would explain its demands in detail during the talks and hoped the government would listen to students who had been protesting across the country.
A senior government minister said the administration remained open to discussions for as long as necessary and would not allow “prestige” to stand in the way of reaching a solution.
The CJP has presented three main demands: the resignation of Pradhan, an assurance that peaceful protesters will not face criminal cases, and compensation of approximately $105,000 for each family of students who died by suicide following examination leaks and cancellations.
The organisation has stressed that protests will continue peacefully until the demands are accepted.
“This is now a mass movement. The CJP will continue its protest until Pradhan resigns,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said.
Opposition parties have supported the protesters’ demands and disrupted the monsoon session of Parliament, increasing pressure on the Modi government to take action.
The federal cabinet was also scheduled to discuss proposed legal amendments aimed at imposing tougher punishment on those responsible for examination paper leaks and securing parliamentary approval at the earliest.
However, protesters have rejected the proposed legal changes as insufficient, arguing that the government must reform the examination system and prevent leaks rather than merely punish offenders after they occur.
“We are not backing out,” Das said. “Real awakening starts from the grassroots, and that is what we really need.”
For all the latest news from Oman and GCC, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.
