New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das said Wednesday that the outfit, which is leading an agitation demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam paper leaks, has conveyed to Union Minister JP Nadda that if the government is “genuinely concerned” then he should come to their protest site at Jantar Mantar to hold talks with the agitators.
Das, along with another CJP member, Ashutosh Ranka, had met Nadda at his residence Monday, where they submitted a written memorandum outlining the group’s three key demands, amid the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march.
Speaking to IANS, Saurav Das said: “J.P. Nadda has invited us today once again for a second round of talks. We have told them that we are not coming to your office or home. They made us wait for four hours, and our time is also very precious. So, we have told them from our side that they should come to Jantar Mantar, come among the people, and present their point here. If they genuinely intend to accept our demands, only then can they call us.”
Backing the Congress sit-in near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence a day before, Das said: “It is very good. Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. It is his duty to (join the) agitation; we all are very happy with the way he protested.”
“All of us have the same demand that the government should be held accountable. (Union Education Minister) Dharmendra Pradhan will have to go. Whoever is willing to support this demand, either through protest, by approaching court or writing a letter, everyone is welcome,” he added.
Responding to a question over the police action against protestors during the July 20 march to Parliament, the CJP member said: “Maybe this was the first time in a democracy’s recent history that the police unleashed such brutality (on the agitators). They had directly aimed to beat on the heads of students, their skulls were cracked open, and legs fractured.”
Moreover, he claimed: “The police even used pellet guns and some people have lost vision.”
However, while admitting that some of the protestors might have pushed back “in self-defence”, he emphasised: “In a democracy and especially in an agitation like ours, there is no place for violence. The police should detain those who are being violent because such people are spoiling the atmosphere.”
He further said that resorting to violence will nullify the point of the entire agitation and impact its larger cause. “The narrative will get shifted…and we don’t want to give that chance to people. The youth are educated, rational and do understand such things will be negative for the movement,” he stated.
Saurav Das also alleged that the protestors have been even labelled as “terrorists”.
“We don’t fall into such traps. The youth of the country are aware of the reality. Some people might not be able to come on the streets but still support the movement and even send food for us,” he asserted.
