NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday declined an invitation from Union minister JP Nadda for talks at his residence, insisting that any discussion with the government should instead take place at Jantar Mantar, where its protest has entered the third day.Addressing reporters at the protest site, CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das claimed the party was contacted by police earlier in the day and informed that Nadda wanted to meet its leadership.“This morning, the police reached out to us again and informed us that JP Nadda ji wanted to speak with us. They invited us to his residence, but we categorically declined. We are not going to anyone’s house or office,” Das said.“A ‘janata darbar’ is being held here, and if the ministers want to talk, they should come to the people. The discussion should take place at Jantar Mantar,” he added.Das, however, said the party was willing to meet at a neutral venue near Jantar Mantar if the government had security concerns about holding talks at the protest site.“If the government is concerned about security at the protest site, we are willing to meet at a neutral venue near Jantar Mantar. We are still waiting to hear back from them,” he said.The CJP spokesperson said the government should first clarify whether it genuinely intends to address the protesters’ demands.“The government must have the intention to accept our demands. There is no point in calling us for meaningless discussions. Our time is valuable. Thousands of people are still participating in the protest, and we have to manage that as well,” he said.Claiming the movement had gained nationwide support, Das said protests were taking place “organically” in several parts of the country.“People gathered here in huge numbers on the 20th. Even yesterday there were around 40,000-50,000 people in New Delhi district. The protests are happening organically across the country: Goa, Gonda, Mumbai, Jaipur, everywhere. We have been asking for dialogue since day one, so if the issue can be resolved through that, well and good,” he said.Das reiterated that the party’s demands remained unchanged, including the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who allegedly died by suicide, withdrawal of FIRs filed against what the party described as peaceful protesters, and a “sovereign guarantee” that no future FIRs would be lodged against peaceful demonstrators.The remarks come as the CJP’s protest at Jantar Mantar entered its third day amid heightened security across central Delhi.Earlier in the day, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation closed 16 Metro stations citing security reasons, disrupting the morning commute and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.The latest development also comes a day after Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused the Congress of “shamelessly exploiting students as political tools” and said the government remained “100% committed” to discussing NEET-related concerns and delivering “answers, reforms and accountability.”
