NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party on Saturday called off its 36-day agitation after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the government accepted its other demands, a momentous win for the unprecedented youth-led movement that galvanised lakhs of people over irregularities in exams and the NEET paper leak.
Pradhan’s resignation is not the solution. Our stand is not to reform NEET, but to abolish it. Lakhs of students have suffered because of it. The govt will continue to grant permission and security for peaceful protests against NEET in Tamil NaduEnergy and Law Minister
Pradhan announced his resignation in a statement, saying the developments of the past 10 days had “saddened” him deeply and that the issue was “not a matter of personal prestige”.
Noting that he did not want “anti-national forces” to exploit the situation, Pradhan said he wanted to ensure that “the unity of the nation remains intact”, “the future of even a single student should not become entangled in legal complications” and that students devote their time to studies and building their careers.
“Keeping all these considerations in mind, I have sent my resignation to the Prime Minister,” he said.
The CJP declared it was withdrawing its agitation after the government agreed to all its remaining demands, including compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide following the NEET paper leak and withdrawal of FIRs against protesters.
The announcement came after the third round of talks between the two sides at the Constitution Club of India here, where Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met CJP representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
Prioritising larger interests, his decision to step down reflects the highest standards of integrity and selfless service in public life. The party stands firmly with Dharmendra Pradhanji in this decisionNitin Nabin, BJP president
Pradhan announced his resignation in a statement, saying the developments of the past 10 days had “saddened” him deeply and that the issue was “not a matter of personal prestige”.
Noting that he did not want “anti-national forces” to exploit the situation, Pradhan said he wanted to ensure that “the unity of the nation remains intact”, “the future of even a single student should not become entangled in legal complications” and that students devote their time to studies and building their careers.
“Keeping all these considerations in mind, I have sent my resignation to the Prime Minister,” he said.
The announcement came after the third round of talks between the two sides at the Constitution Club of India here, where Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met CJP representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
This is proof that if you don’t get scared, if you don’t bow down in front of this government, you can take anyone’s resignation. Don’t make me a hero... The country has been ruined because of making one person a hero– Abhijeet Dipke, CJP founder
Addressing a joint press conference with the CJP leaders, Nadda said the government would provide “honourable compensation” within the rules to the kin of students who killed self after the NEET examination controversy and ensure the withdrawal of all FIRs registered against protesters. “As the government accepted all our demands, we call off our protests with immediate effect. We appeal everyone to go back home peacefully,” Das said.
Jubilant scenes erupted at Jantar Mantar and chants of “Hum Jeet Gaye” (We have won) rang out across the protest site after Pradhan resigned.
As the celebrations continued, authorities began overseeing the winding down of the demonstration, urging protesters to disperse peacefully, while the Delhi Metro Rail reopened all entry and exit gates at nearby stations to facilitate their movement.
The agitation began at Jantar Mantar on June 20 but acquired national momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined it on June 28 and undertook an indefinite fast. Wangchuk ended his fast on Thursday night.
Pradhan’s resignation is among the few occasions since 2014 that the Modi government has yielded to sustained public or political pressure — the decision in 2015 to shelve the proposed amendments to the land acquisition law and the repeal of the three farm laws in 2021 being two major retreats.