The question is who will blink first.
Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical movement that began two months ago, has made it clear: the government has to take the lead.
The statement comes two days after tens of thousands of student protesters attempted to march on Parliament, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged NEET paper leak. The NEET exam is the sole gateway to undergraduate medical courses across India, and millions of aspirants sit for it every year.
“If the government wants to talk, it has to come here. It must abide by our conditions,” Dipke, the 30-year-old leader, said.
“We request the government to agree. Its arrogance must end,” Dipke added.
The government, on its part, has put the onus of talks on the protesters.
“If the protesters come to talk, we are ready,” government sources have told NDTV.
The CJP though maintained that it’s the government that must come to it.
“Talks with the government can be held at a neutral venue or at Jantar Mantar. We will not back down from our demand. The demand is for the Education Minister’s resignation,” Ashutosh Ranka, spokesperson, Cockroach Janta Party, said.
A second round of meeting with the delegation of protesters was scheduled around noon.
On Tuesday, Dipke questioned the government’s design behind starting talks with his outfit, saying it was engaging in dialogue with CJP while simultaneously carrying out a police crackdown on protesters.
“The government wasted our time. They invited our delegation. They seized their mobiles. Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were, in a way, under house arrest at JP Nadda’s residence,” Dipke said addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, where the protest over the NEET paper leak issue entered its 32nd day.
“The whole plan was to scatter the team, so that when there is chaos, no one is there. That is why they kept them sitting for five hours and wasted our time. You call for talks on one hand, and unleash batons on students on the other hand,” he alleged.
The Centre has not responded to the allegations.
On Monday, JP Nadda held talks with two representatives of the outfit and assured that the government leadership will hold internal discussions on their demands, after thousands of protesters tried to march to Parliament but were prevented by police.
The protest continued at the Jantar Mantar under heavy security a day after the police action.
Police used force, including lathicharge and tear gas shells, after protesters attempted to march towards Parliament, with both sides blaming each other for the violence.
