Sharad Pawar Meets PM Modi Amid CJP Protest Over Exam Irregularities

NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on Wednesday, a day after he visited the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest site at Jantar Mantar to back its agitation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. Baramati MP Supriya Sule accompanied Pawar during both the protest visit and the meeting with the Prime Minister.

The meeting came amid mounting Opposition pressure over Monday's police action against the CJP's 'Sansad Chalo' march, in which police used tear gas and batons to stop protesters heading towards Parliament despite prohibitory orders.

Pawar, who met injured protesters at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, condemned the police action and assured the students that his party would continue supporting the movement.

"The Nationalist Congress Party stands firmly with the students. We will raise these issues in Parliament and continue supporting this movement until justice is delivered and accountability is fixed," Pawar said, according to a CJP statement.

After meeting Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday, Pawar urged the Centre to respond to the demands of the protesters.

"The Indian Constitution has provided protection to the rights and entitlements of every citizen of the country, and the government and administration are accountable to the people. Therefore, instead of suppressing the students and citizens who are protesting peacefully for their demands, the government should sensitively consider their demands and take appropriate action by duly noting them," he said.

The CJP-led agitation began on June 20 and is demanding accountability for alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, reforms in the education system and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Tuesday's protest site also saw visits from several Opposition leaders, including AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Sanjay Raut and Arvind Sawant, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, BJD MPs, and a delegation of Left parliamentarians, who extended support to the students and demanded a discussion in Parliament on the police action.

Meanwhile, Supriya Sule last week dismissed speculation that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction could join the NDA or merge with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

"Pawar sahib, I, Jayant Patil, Anil Deshmukh and Rajesh Tope or any senior leader have not received any proposal from any party... Nor BJP, Congress or any NDA ally given us a proposal," she said in Mumbai.

The speculation followed late-night meetings involving NCP (SCP) leader Jayant Patil, ruling NCP leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Sharad Pawar-led party has maintained that those meetings were administrative in nature and not related to any political realignment.