In three meetings, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) with massive student support did what mainstream opposition parties could not: make the government yield to sustained public pressure.
How the power equation changed within a matter of five days was visible during the three meetings between the Centre and the CJP delegation.
July 20
The first meeting on July 20 was held at senior BJP leader and Union Minister J.P. Nadda's residence. CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were seated next to each other on a three-seater sofa while Nadda sat comfortably on a single-seater as he went through the written memorandum submitted by the protesters.
Their demands included Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, release of Sonam Wangchuk who was on hunger strike and forcibly hospitalised and ₹1 crore compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide.
Nadda assured the delegation that their demands would be discussed by the government while appealing the protesters to end their agitation. He also assured that there would not be any future police crackdowns.
July 24
The second meeting occurred after Wangchuk called off his 26-day hunger strike.
For this meeting, the CJP sought a neutral venue, following which the government set up a meeting at the Constitution Club of India. This time, Nadda was accompanied by MoS PMO Jitendra Singh. While the two Union ministers sat comfortably on a sofa, CJP's Das and Ranka were seated on chairs as they sat upright with visible apprehensions on their faces.
The delegation submitted a revised memorandum, detailed three non-negotiable demands and five major pointers for institutional exam reforms. The demands included Pradhan's resignation, legal immunity for protesters, including withdrawal of FIRs, and ₹1 crore compensation for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide.
The CJP also reportedly issued a 48-hour ultimatum to sack Pradhan and threatened massive nationwide youth protests. Both sides decided to meet again on July 25.
July 25
The third meeting witnessed a visible change in the seating arrangements. Both Das and Ranka were seated on a sofa comfortably instead of chairs opposite Nadda and Singh. Das kept on a smile throughout the meeting while Ranka appeared more confident. This came as Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation as Education Minister.
Following the meeting, the CJP delegates announced that they are withdrawing their protest with immediate effect as the Centre agreed to all their demands.
During a joint press conference following their meeting on Saturday, ministers Nadda and Singh appeared tense. At one point, Singh reminded the CJP spokespersons that they should emphasise "with immediate effect" while calling off the protest.
Nadda said the government would provide "honourable compensation" within the rules to the families of students who committed suicide after the NEET examination controversy.
Das was seen smiling and confident while Ranka was also calm and assertive. "As the government accepted all our demands, we call off our protests with immediate effect. We appeal everyone to go back home peacefully," Das said.
The two sides have agreed to meet for a fourth round of talks in four weeks.
