Centre Seeks Time on Education Minister's Resignation Amid NEET Protests

The Centre has sought time until Saturday afternoon to respond to the demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party said on Friday after holding talks with JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka said the government had requested additional time before conveying its position on their key demand.

"The government has asked for time till tomorrow afternoon on our demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. We hope the govt will remove him soon. The government has expressed in-principle approval on the two demands of compensation (for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide) and withdrawal of FIRs, legal cases on students," Ranka said.

"We told Union ministers that our demand for resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan is non-negotiable," said Saurav Das.

The CJP has repeatedly said the protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until a formal response is received.

The demand for the minister's resignation has emerged as the central issue of the ongoing protests, which were triggered by allegations of NEET paper leaks and have since expanded into a broader movement seeking accountability and reforms in the country's examination system.

Responding after the meeting, Union Health Minister and senior BJP leader JP Nadda said the discussions lasted for nearly two hours and covered both the protesters' demands and their proposed reforms.

"The meeting went on for almost two hours. They had three main demands and five reform suggestions for examinations. We have told them that we will meet them again tomorrow afternoon and tell them about the discussion we had within the government," Nadda told reporters.

The CJP said it agreed to the dialogue after the government reportedly accepted two preconditions for the talks that no legal action would be taken against peaceful protesters and that adequate compensation would be provided to families of students affected by the recent examination irregularities. However, the group said its protest at Jantar Mantar would continue until it receives a formal response on its demand for the minister's resignation.

The talks came a day after social activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike after receiving a written assurance from the Centre on the NEET issue and broader reforms in the country's competitive examination system. Wangchuk ended his fast in the presence of Nadda and Singh at Medanta Hospital.

In a video message posted on X, Wangchuk said the two Union ministers met him along with leaders of the Apex Body and assured him of government action. He said he had insisted on a written commitment rather than a verbal assurance, which delayed the end of his fast by two days.

The meeting also followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement late Thursday that the Union Cabinet would consider a draft bill providing for fast-track courts and stricter punishment for those involved in paper leaks. "More strict actions against paper leaks to come in tomorrow's Cabinet!" Modi wrote on X.

In his video message, the Prime Minister said paper leaks had caused immense distress to lakhs of students and their families. He said the government had arrested those responsible, ensured that examinations for nearly 22 lakh students were conducted quickly so that an academic year was not lost, and announced the results on July 19.

On Friday, the Union Cabinet approved the proposed legislation, which is expected to be introduced in Parliament next week. The bill seeks to strengthen the legal framework against examination fraud through tougher penalties and faster prosecution of offenders.