CJP, Sonam Wangchuk and Centre: Who stands where before the third round of talks? | india news

Last updated:July 25, 2026, 13:23 IST

CJP is adamant on its 3 demands, Sonam Wangchuk has a different view. Meanwhile, the Center is hopeful of a solution even as the opposition continues its attacks

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

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

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)

The student protest group has three main demands, the first of which is its full red line:

• Immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over structural failures.
• Unconditional withdrawal of all police cases and First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against peaceful student protesters.
• A compensation package of ₹1 crore 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 – as non-negotiable. While it acknowledges that the Center has responded positively to its other two demands, the party insists that it will not stop protests or back down until the minister steps down. A massive nationwide agitation including ‘Chalo Sansad March 2.0’ has been threatened if the third round of talks fails.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dubike has been diagnosed with typhoid, but has vowed that his illness will not slow down the movement. Hours before the third round of talks between the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and the Centre. CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka Said on Saturday that if the government is not ready to remove Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from the post, then there is no point in discussing further.

Sonam Wangchuk

The protests received support from several public figures, including activist Sonam Wangchuk, who joined the movement on 28 June and led a 26-day hunger strike.

Wangchuk ended his fast Having secured bi-partisan parliamentary commitments and written government assurances on key student safety. He has strongly denied making any secret “deal” with the Centre. He says ending his fast is “the beginning of accountability” and has appealed to students to keep all ongoing demonstrations completely peaceful.

While supporting the students he Wangchuk’s demands Focus on long-term systemic reforms and democratic process:

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

Bipartisan Resolution: Parliamentary consensus whereby both the government and opposition formally debate and pass concrete student-protection legislation.

Peaceful Advocacy: The state’s arbitrary actions against the protesters should be ended immediately, provided the student movement remains completely non-violent.

Are Wangchuk and CJP on the same page?

Despite their shared anger over the NEET-UG paper leak, Sonam Wangchuk and the cockroach Janata Party (CJP) are no longer in agreement over the immediate strategy of the movement. While Wangchuk’s 26-day hunger strike basically boosted the CJP’s grassroots movement, a clear strategic divide has emerged ahead of the third round of talks.

original disagreement

Red Line Demand: For the CJP, the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan remains an absolute, non-negotiable condition to end the agitation. In contrast, Wangchuk decided to end his fast after securing written assurances about institutional reforms, withdrawal of police cases against students and compensation, thereby prioritizing student safety and systemic overhaul over political exit.

Strategic de-escalation: Wangchuk said clearly After facing heavy police action during protests at Jantar Mantar, they called off their strike to stop the state’s violent action and for the safety of the students. He has urged for dialogue and parliamentary debate. However, the CJP feels that stalling the motion has reduced executive accountability, and has vowed to continue nationwide protests until the minister steps down.

Despite operational rifts, there is no personal bad blood between the two sides. CJP founder Abhijit Dubke publicly expressed relief and gratitude after ending his fast, acknowledging Wangchuk’s immense sacrifice. Both parties are united on the broader goal of ending the paper-leak mafia and protecting innocent students from legal harassment.

Central government

Represented in the talks by Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, the Center is strongly opposing Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Instead, the government has proposed a stringent new anti-paper leak law that carries a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine of ₹10 crore, set up fast-track courts and 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 the protesters. Acknowledging the issues, Union Minister JP Nadda assured the group that the points would be reviewed at the appropriate leadership level.

In the second meeting, the Center 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 withdrawing FIRs against peaceful student protesters. The government sought time till Saturday afternoon to internally deliberate on the primary demand of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, while protests and talks continued.

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

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

Legislative compromise: Accepting a new anti-paper leak law with a 10-year jail sentence and ₹10 crore fine as a proposal.

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

What did PM Modi say?

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

Video 1: Posted late Thursday night and continuing till midnight on July 24, Modi acknowledged that the paper leak is a “grave sin” (gross sin) and “not an ordinary matter”, which has caused immense pain to lakhs of students and parents. He defended his administration’s actions in the last two and a half months, saying the culprits were already in jail and re-conducting exams for 2.2 million (22 lakh) students saved their academic year.

He announced that the Union Cabinet will consider strict legally binding measures, including a new law to set up fast-track courts and imposing stricter punishments, including up to 10 years in jail and ₹10 crore fine, for organized paper leaks.

Video 2: Posted late on Friday, July 24, the Prime Minister shared a 40-second follow-up 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, practical suggestions. Thank you everyone. I hope your love and support continues and our bond grows even stronger.”

Where does the opposition stand?

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

What next?

• The CJP has warned that if the government rejects its primary demand, a nationwide mass movement on the lines of the massive “Chalo Sansad” march of July 20 will be launched.
• Student organizations like AISA have called for Bihar bandh on July 25 in protest against police lathicharge on students.
• Cities across India are holding protests in solidarity, including shifting the peaceful protest to Phadke Maidan in Kalyan due to rain, and a planned tricolor march at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on July 26.
• High-profile leaders like Mamata Banerjee are expected to reach Jantar Mantar by Monday to join the student group.
• Delhi Police has closed 18 metro stations in central Delhi for the fourth consecutive day and deployed 150 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to control the surging crowd over the weekend.

with ANI input

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