'No Accountability, Need Minister's Resignation': CJP Spokesperson To NDTV

Nothing less than the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be acceptable, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka told NDTV at their protest site in central Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Friday, following negotiations and the government's announcements of taking steps on several fronts to stop paper leaks.The spokesperson of the satirical political group said the protest will not end until their main demand is met."They don't have a choice anymore. It's not just CJP or the protesters here at Jantar Mantar. People all over the country have now one very clear demand, that this person has to go or he has to be sacked. He's completely failed in his capacity as the education minister and there's no alternative right now," Ranka told NDTV, surrounded by protesters.Though the talks with the government indicated a likely resolution to the agitation over the NEET paper leak, the CJP seemed determined to push ahead with the protest."We have made it categorically clear that nothing less than resignation or sacking would do. There is no middle way out here. This is not just about the CJP or this protest at Jantar Mantar anymore. Protests are going on all over the country, and the government really needs to pay heed to the general sentiment," Ranka said, adding the talks with the government did yield some results.In recent discussions, the government agreed in principle to two major demands regarding student welfare, he said."The discussions went fine. There were three core demands that were discussed, two of them which were accepted in principle. We hope to see a written agreement that can be mutually agreed upon tomorrow," Ranka said.The CJP wants assurance the students who took to the streets would be protected, and financial support would be given to the families of students who died by suicide."What we made clear was the compensation has to be adequate. Our number has been Rs 1 crore, and we really hope that the government values its children," Ranka said. He pointed out some 11 first information reports (FIRs) have been filed and they should be withdrawn."And number two, we want a sovereign guarantee that no such FIRs targeting the protesters will be filed in the future," he said, explaining the key demands of the group founded by Abhijeet Dipke, a Boston University graduate who recently returned to India after creating the CJP.The Centre has taken decisions for legal reforms and also approved fast-track courts to try paper leak cases. Ranka said the measures are welcome but they don't address the root cause of the crisis."Of course, anything that concerns student reforms is welcome. But some of the things, for example, the setting up of fast-track courts - you're talking about treating the symptoms and not the disease. What difference does it make if we apply ointment after getting hurt? The entire fight is about no injury in the first place," Ranka said, adding the CJP sees the crisis as coming from a "deep rot" within the administrative structure."The problem is there is absolutely no accountability in the system. Everyone from top to bottom right now is either incompetent or corrupt, or probably both. Until and unless you fix structural issues that can actually stop paper leaks, this is not going to change," he said. "Before you even start talking about broader reforms, the person who is handling the ministry has to be competent and capable."#LeftRightCentre with @VishnuNDTVListen in as CJP spokesperson @AshutoshRanka shares key details about the crucial government-CJP talks, PM Modi's video message, Sonam Wangchuk and their plans going forward. pic.twitter.com/MLhe8FBkW6 - NDTV (@ndtv) July 24, 2026The protest began on June 6 and gained wider attention after Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk joined with an indefinite hunger strike on June 28, which ended on Thursday night after 26 days.Ranka expressed support for Wangchuk's decision."His health had been deteriorating quite a bit for the last four-five days. We had been continuously requesting him to actually end his hunger strike. He continued his strike till he got some submissions and some negotiations done with the government, which is absolutely great. His negotiations were on his hunger strike, and we really are happy that his hunger strike has ended and our fight, this protest, continues. I think there's absolutely no contradiction in these two things," Ranka said.