The standoff between the Union Government and the satirical movement, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spearheading the NEET UG 2026 paper leak intensified on Wednesday as the outfit refused the government’s invitation for dialogue on official terms. Instead, they maintained that the Centre must initiate talks by meeting them at a neutral venue or at Jantar Mantar, where the demonstrators have been staging a sit-in for a long time.
Abhijeet Dipke (30), the founder of the movement that emerged barely two months ago, said the government must abandon what he termed ‘arrogance’ if it genuinely wished to resolve the deadlock.
A still from Wednesday's protest
He added, “If the government wants to talk, it has to come here. It must abide by our conditions,” reiterating that the organisation would not compromise on its principal demand (the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan) over the irregularities in NEET UG 2026 exam.
However, government sources maintained that the administration was willing to hold discussions, provided the demonstrators came forward for talks.
CJP accuses police of brutality
The development surfaced two days after thousands of students attempted to march towards the Parliament under the CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ campaign. CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said discussions could be held at Jantar Mantar or any mutually agreed neutral venue but insisted that the organisation would not dilute its demand for the Education Minister’s resignation.
Addressing supporters at Jantar Matar, where the 32nd day of the agitation began on Wednesday, Dipke accused the government of engaging in dialogue while simultaneously conducting a police crackdown on demonstrators.
CJP protestors lathicharged by Delhi Police on Monday
He alleged that a delegation invited for talks at Union Minister JP Nadda’s residence had their cell phones seized and was prevented from leaving from there for several hours, claiming the move was intended at weakening the protest leadership during police action. However, the Centre has not yet responded to these allegations.
Notably, Minister Nadda met two representatives of the outfit on Monday and assured them that the government leadership would internally deliberate on their demands after protestors were prevented from marching to Parliament.
“Discussion on NEET row to be held in Parliament”: Kiren Rijiju
As the political heat rises over the issue, the Opposition has intensified its critique of the Centre both over the NEET UG 2026 paper leak and the police response to the demonstrators. Amid repeated sloganeering in the Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the government had agreed to hold a detailed discussion on the NEET row. He asserted, “Students are our top priority. We want a detailed discussion in the House on the NEET paper leak issue.”
On the other hand, the Opposition demanded that Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi personally address the Parliament on both the alleged irregularities in the examination system and the reported police excesses.
Kiren Rijiju
Leading the attack on the Union Government, Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav questioned why PM Modi had not made a statement inside Parliament, alleging that students protesting in New Delhi had been subjected to excessive police force. He opined that the government owed answers to both Parliament and the country’s youth as political tensions continue to escalate over the NEET controversy.