'End protest, help restore normalcy': Nadda says talks on, shares pic with CJP's Das and Ranka

Union Minister and BJP national president JP Nadda on Monday said members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had approached the government for talks for the first time and urged them to call off their sit-in after discussions concluded. The CJP representatives said he only told them he would discuss the matter internally.Speaking to reporters, Nadda said the protesters' delegation met him and submitted a written petition following detailed discussions.“This morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government, and our discussions have been ongoing since 11:50 AM,” Nadda said.Describing the meeting as cordial, Nadda said the government held detailed discussions with the CJP delegation, which also submitted a written petition. "The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere. An initial verbal discussion was held in detail with their delegation, and they submitted a written petition to me around 4 PM," he said.Nadda said he had urged the protesters to call off their agitation and cooperate with the authorities. Also Read | Fight elections, Kangana dares CJP, says elected govt has the right to make decisionsFollow here for live updatesFrom the CJP's side, after meeting Nadda, spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said, “We came to Nadda ji's residence at around 12. We met him at around 2:15 pm. We placed three demands before him. First, Sonam Wangchuk ji should be released immediately and allowed to address people through a video message. Second, Dharmendra Pradhan ji, whom we consider an incompetent education minister, should either be removed immediately or his resignation should be accepted. Third, the families of the students who died by suicide following the NEET paper leak should be given compensation of ₹1 crore each.” He said that after another round of talks at 4 pm, “Nadda ji said he would discuss these demands with the senior leadership and communicate their decision to us".Asked what assurance they got from Nadda, Ranka said, “The only assurance I received was that he would discuss the matter with the senior leadership, and whatever is decided will be conveyed to us soon.”What happened at protests?The Centre on Monday opened a channel of communication with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), with Union minister JP Nadda meeting two representatives of the outfit amid its 'Chalo Sansad' march in Delhi.CJP leaders said they submitted a written charter of demands and sought time to consult the BJP leadership before responding, marking the first formal engagement between the government and the protesters since the agitation intensified.The meeting took place even as thousands of CJP supporters attempted to march towards Parliament, demanding examination reforms and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.The protest triggered heavy police deployment, barricading, lathi-charge, detentions and traffic disruptions across parts of the national capital.CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka met Nadda at his residence on Monday afternoon after, according to the outfit, the government reached out earlier in the day to initiate talks.Before leaving for the meeting, Das posted on X: "Ashutosh Ranka and I, on behalf of the Cockroach Janta Party, are on our way to meet JP Nadda. The government had reached out for talks in the morning. Our demands are clear. The youth have gathered in huge numbers."