New Delhi : A delegation of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) that held talks with Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh on Saturday turned down the Centre’s proposal to merely shift Dharmendra Pradhan to another ministry instead of removing him from the Union Cabinet. The Centre maintained that appointing, removing or reshuffling ministers falls exclusively within the Prime Minister’s authority.
CJP representatives Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das remained firm, insisting that nothing short of Pradhan’s resignation would be acceptable. On Monday, Pradhan was greeted warmly by NDA leaders in Parliament in a public display of support after he stepped down as Education Minister on Saturday following nationwide outrage over the NEET paper leak. At the same time, Opposition MPs led by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demonstrated against the alleged police excesses during student protests.
Ahead of Pradhan’s arrival, BJP MPs gathered at the Makar Dwar entrance to welcome him. As he entered the Parliament complex, party colleagues escorted him inside, felicitated him and presented him with a ceremonial cap as a mark of solidarity. Meanwhile, Opposition leaders raised slogans of “Shiksha Chori”(theft of education) while accusing the government of using excessive force against students. They demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah apologise for what they described as police brutality against peaceful demonstrators.
In a notable moment inside Parliament, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, who had repeatedly called for Pradhan’s resignation, met the former minister and expressed sympathy after his exit. “It happens,” Ramesh remarked. Pradhan responded, “Nothing happened,” before adding, “I am a street fighter, not an AC-room activist.” After six consecutive days of disruptions during the Monsoon Session, Parliament is expected to finally begin discussions on the proposed amendments to the anti-paper leak law.
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