CJP withdraws Jantar Mantar protest after Centre accepts key demands; JP Nadda says government will consider protesters' 5-point charter

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday announced the withdrawal of its agitation at Jantar Mantar after holding three rounds of talks with a government delegation, saying that the Centre had accepted its key demands.


The decision came after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following weeks of protests over leaks in some of the country's most competitive entrance examinations and wider irregularities in the education system.


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CJP National Spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the protest had centred on three principal demands: the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, withdrawal of all FIRs and legal cases against protesters and organisers, and compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of those who lost their lives following the disruption caused by the NEET examination controversy.

"We held three rounds of discussions with the government delegation. Our protest at Jantar Mantar, which was going on for several days, had three main demands: Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation; withdrawal of all legal cases and FIRs filed against protesters and organisers, with no future cases to be filed; and compensation of Rs 1 crore for families who lost their loved ones after the NEET examination was not held," Ranka said.


"Just a while ago, Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. This means that our first demand has been accepted," he added.

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Ranka later said the government had also agreed to provide compensation to the affected families.

"We had demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of NEET victims. The government has agreed to this, stating that an honorary compensation will be given to those families under whatever rules and regulations allow," he said.

He added that the CJP had also submitted a five-point charter seeking broader reforms in the education and examination system.

"Apart from this, we also placed a five-point demand charter before the government, which talked about broader educational reforms and examination reforms. We will meet the government again in about four weeks regarding that demand charter so that we can work together on broader reforms. If all these demands are agreeable to the government, then we would also like to withdraw the agitation," Ranka said.

CJP Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das said the government had also agreed to the party's second demand regarding FIRs filed against protesters in Delhi and BJP-ruled or BJP-allied states.


"Our second demand was that all the FIRs filed against the protesters, not just in Delhi but in all BJP-ruled and BJP-allied states, should be withdrawn. The government has accepted that demand as well," Das said.

He added that the government had assured the party that copies of the FIRs would be shared within three to four days and that the withdrawal process would begin shortly. According to the CJP's last information, between 15 and 20 FIRs had been registered in Delhi.

Das said the CJP had also sought a written guarantee from the government regarding the withdrawal of FIRs and protection against any future legal action.

"The government has said it will share this with us by Tuesday. We hope that by Tuesday we will receive the government's guarantees regarding these FIRs and any future action," he said.

Following the talks, Union Minister and BJP president J P Nadda said the government would examine the CJP's five-point charter on education reforms and continue discussions with its delegation.

"This five-point charter, which you gave me, is related to reforms in education examinations. We will think deeply about your charter for reforms in education examinations and, after talking to your delegation, we will try to do whatever we can," Nadda said.

"I think the government has sympathetically considered all the demands they had made and has also accepted them," he added.

Pradhan announced his resignation in a post on X, marking a major victory for the CJP-led movement, which had organised nationwide demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes.

Announcing the end of the agitation, Das said the party was acting in good faith after receiving assurances from the government.

"On that note, the CJP declares that we withdraw the agitation in good faith and with the understanding that the agreed terms will be executed within the agreed timeline," he said.

The party also appealed to protesters across the country to end their demonstrations peacefully while awaiting the government's written assurances and the implementation of the agreed measures.

Inputs from agencies