Union Minister JP Nadda says talks with CJP delegation ‘went off fine’

NEW DELHI: Following a meeting with the Cockroach Janata Party delegation, Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Tuesday said that the talks went off “fine”.

He gave a brief answer regarding the meeting as he arrived for the NDA Parliamentary Party Meeting, ‘Mangal Milan’, stating, “It was fine, it is always fine”.

Nadda met CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka and chief spokesperson Saurav Das at his residence amid an intensifying protest that saw thousands of demonstrators try to march towards Parliament demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak on Monday.

सीजेपी नेताओं से बातचीत को लेकर जे पी नड्डा से पत्रकारों के सवाल।
जवाब में जे पी नड्डा ने कहा कि बातचीत अच्छी रही…
आगे आकर बताते है।
नड्डा NDA की बैठक में पहुंचे। pic.twitter.com/GPRyMnJna8

— Madhurendra kumar मधुरेन्द्र कुमार (@Madhurendra13) July 21, 2026

Das had said they met Union Health Minister JP Nadda and raised three demands, including resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the NEET aspirants, “more than 20 of whom have lost their lives”.

He said activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is in a hospital, should be “released immediately”. Das said that the protest will continue till Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.

Ashutosh Ranka made a separate post about the post, stating, “The demands have been conveyed, including immediate resignation/sacking of Dharmendra Pradhan,” he said. “The Minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level. However, no commitments have been made so far. The peaceful protesters will not rest until the demand is met!” he added.

Nadda separately noted on X that it was the first time protest organisers had themselves proposed talks with the government. “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. The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere,” he said.

“An initial verbal discussion was held in detail with their delegation, and they submitted a written petition to me around 4 pm. I have requested all the protesters to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy,” he added.

According to Delhi police, the protest saw more than 118 police personnel sustain injuries, including senior officers of the ranks of Special Commissioner of Police, Joint Commissioner of Police, Additional Commissioner of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police and Assistant Commissioner of Police, besides several women police personnel.

During the scuffle, around 60 protesters were also reported to have been injured. (ANI)