Negotiations continue as demonstrators maintain demand for education minister’s resignation
NEW DELHI: India’s government has asked for additional time to respond to key demands raised by leaders of a youth-led protest movement, following fresh talks aimed at resolving nationwide demonstrations over alleged examination paper leaks.
Representatives of the protesters said on Friday that government officials requested until Saturday afternoon to present their response, particularly on the demand for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The discussions took place only hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike, raising hopes of progress in the standoff. The movement has drawn tens of thousands of protesters to New Delhi and has become one of the most significant youth-led challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government since it took office in 2014.
Senior ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh represented the government during the meeting, while Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka attended on behalf of the self-described Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is leading the protests.
Protest leaders stand firm
Following the meeting, protest leaders said they had made it clear that they would not accept any settlement without the education minister stepping down.
Ranka told reporters that the government had sought more time to consider the demand and expressed hope that a decision would be announced soon. He added that the movement would intensify if authorities failed to act.
Meanwhile, Nadda described the discussions as cordial and confirmed that both sides would meet again on Saturday to continue negotiations.
Additional demands remain under discussion
Besides seeking the minister’s resignation, protesters have called for the withdrawal of police cases registered against demonstrators and financial compensation for the families of students who reportedly died by suicide following the alleged examination paper leak earlier this year.
Opposition parties have backed the protesters’ demands and disrupted the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament in support of the movement.
The latest round of negotiations marks the first substantive dialogue between the two sides since preliminary discussions earlier this week, with both the government and protest leaders expected to resume talks as efforts continue to find a resolution.
