CJP, Sonam Wangchuk & Centre: Who Stands Where Ahead Of Today’s Third Round Of Talks?

Last Updated:July 25, 2026, 1:39 PM IST

The CJP is firm on its 3 demands; Sonam Wangchuk has a different viewpoint. The Centre, meanwhile, is hopeful of a resolution, even as Oppn continues its attacks

The third round of talks will be held on Saturday. (File/X)

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) is on Saturday set to join the third round of talks with the government to end its protest over the NEET paper leaks. The CJP-led agitation at Jantar Mantar, launched over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, has been demanding accountability in the examination system, reforms to recruitment and entrance tests, and Pradhan’s resignation.

Ahead of the talks, here’s a look at who stands where.

THE COCKROACH JANATA PARTY (CJP)

The student protest group has three main demands, with the first being its absolute red line:

• Immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over structural failures.
• Unconditional withdrawal of all police cases and First Information Reports (FIRs) filed against peaceful student protesters.
• A ₹1-crore compensation package for the families of students who tragically died by suicide due to the paper leak crisis.

The CJP considers its primary demand — the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan—to be non-negotiable. While it acknowledges that the Centre has responded positively to its other two demands, the party insists it will not halt the protests or back down until the Minister steps down. It has threatened a massive nationwide escalation, including a ‘Chalo Sansad March 2.0’, if the third round of talks fails.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has been diagnosed with typhoid but has vowed that his illness will not slow the movement. Hours before the third round of talks between the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the Centre, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka on Saturday said there was no point in holding further discussions if the government was unwilling to remove Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from office.

GLORY WASHINGTON

The protest gathered support from several public figures, including activist Sonam Wangchuk, who joined the agitation on June 28 and observed a 26-day hunger strike.

Wangchuk called off his fast after securing bipartisan parliamentary commitments and written government assurances on key student protections. He has strongly denied striking any secret “deal” with the Centre. He maintains that ending his fast is the “beginning of accountability” and has appealed to students to keep all ongoing demonstrations strictly peaceful.

While supporting the students, Wangchuk’s demands focus on long-term systemic reform and the democratic process:

Institutional accountability: A complete, transparent overhaul of the National Testing Agency (NTA) to prevent future leaks.

Bipartisan resolution: Parliamentary consensus under which both the government and the Opposition formally debate and pass concrete student-protection laws.

Peaceful advocacy: An immediate end to state high-handedness against protesters, provided the student movement remains strictly non-violent.

ARE WANGCHUK AND CJP ON THE SAME PAGE?

Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) are no longer on the same page regarding the immediate strategy of the movement, despite their shared anger over the NEET-UG paper leaks. While Wangchuk’s 26-day hunger strike originally amplified the CJP’s ground movement, a clear strategic divide has emerged ahead of the third round of talks.

The core disagreements

The red-line demand: For the CJP, the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan remains an absolute, non-negotiable prerequisite for ending the agitation. Conversely, Wangchuk chose to end his fast after securing written assurances regarding institutional reform, the withdrawal of police cases against students, and compensation, thereby prioritizing student safety and systemic overhaul over a political exit.

Strategic de-escalation: Wangchuk explicitly stated that he called off his strike to prevent a violent state crackdown and protect students after the Jantar Mantar protests faced heavy-handed police action. He has urged dialogue and parliamentary debate. The CJP, however, feels that halting the momentum now dilutes executive accountability, and it has vowed to continue nationwide demonstrations until the Minister steps down.

Despite the operational rift, there is no personal bad blood between the two sides. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke publicly expressed relief and gratitude after Wangchuk ended his fast, acknowledging his immense sacrifice. Both sides continue to be aligned on the broader goal of scrapping the paper-leak mafia and protecting innocent students from legal persecution.

THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

Represented in negotiations by Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh, the Centre is firmly resisting the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. Instead, the government has proposed a tough new anti-paper leak law providing for up to 10 years in prison and a ₹10 crore fine, the establishment of fast-track courts, and has agreed to drop police cases against peaceful students.

In the first meeting, the CJP delegation presented written, non-negotiable demands, including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, compensation for affected families, and relief for protesters. Union Minister J.P. Nadda acknowledged the issues, assuring the group that the points would be reviewed at appropriate leadership levels.

In the second meeting, the Centre indicated a positive, in-principle agreement on two secondary points—providing compensation for the families of students who died by suicide in connection with the NEET paper leak and dropping FIRs against peaceful student demonstrators. The government sought time until Saturday afternoon to deliberate internally on the primary demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, while protests and talks remained ongoing.

The government’s primary counter-demand is to shift the focus from political exits to legislative solutions:

No resignation: Retaining Dharmendra Pradhan, arguing that his exit would disrupt ongoing structural reforms.

Legislative compromise: Acceptance of a new anti-paper leak law with 10-year prison terms and ₹10 crore fines as the resolution.

End to protests: Immediate dispersal of the Jantar Mantar protests in exchange for fast-track courts and the withdrawal of student legal charges.

WHAT PM MODI SAID

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released two consecutive late-night, selfie-style video messages on Instagram to directly address the youth amid the nationwide NEET-UG paper leak controversy.

Video 1: Posted late on Thursday night and continuing past midnight into July 24, Modi acknowledged that paper leaks are a “grave sin” (ghor paap) and “no ordinary matter,” causing immense pain to lakhs of students and parents. He defended his administration’s actions over the past two and a half months, stating that culprits are already in jail and that reconducting the exam for 2.2 million (22 lakh) students saved their academic year.

He announced that the Union Cabinet would consider tougher legally binding measures, including a new law establishing fast-track courts and imposing strict punishment, including up to 10 years in jail and ₹10 crore fines for organised paper leaks.

Video 2: Posted late on Friday night, July 24, the Prime Minister shared a follow-up 40-second reel thanking young citizens for the viral, record-breaking response to his previous video.

Speaking directly to his “young friends,” he said: “Thank you, friends. Last night, I had the opportunity to connect with you. Thank you for the way you responded to the video I posted and for your positive, insightful suggestions. Thanks to everybody. I hope your love and support continue and that our bond grows even stronger.”

WHERE DOES THE OPPOSITION STAND?

Rahul Gandhi, the Congress, the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) [NCP (SP)]and Shiv Sena (UBT) have expressed support for the students’ protest.

WHAT NEXT?

• The CJP has warned of launching a countrywide mass movement modeled after the massive July 20 “Chalo Sansad” march if the government rejects its primary demand.
• Student organisations like AISA have called for a Bihar Bandh on July 25 to protest police lathi charge against students.
• Cities across India are holding solidarity protests, including the relocation of a peaceful protest to Phadke Ground in Kalyan due to rain and a planned Tiranga March at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on July 26.
• High-profile leaders like Mamata Banerjee are expected to arrive at Jantar Mantar by Monday to join the student collective.
• The Delhi Police have shut down 18 metro stations in Central Delhi for a fourth straight day and deployed 150 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to restrict swelling crowds over the weekend.

With ANI inputs

About the Author

Manjiri Joshi

At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci…Read More

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