India and Janta Party meet again on Pradhan resignation

Representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the Indian government are scheduled to hold a third round of talks on Saturday, July 25, 2026, in a final effort to resolve a month-long protest movement centered on demands for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The meeting follows two previous discussions that ended without agreement on the central demand, despite government concessions on other points.

The second round of talks occurred on Friday, July 24, between Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh and CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. After nearly two hours of discussion, the government requested additional time until Saturday afternoon to formally respond to the demand for Pradhan's resignation. CJP representatives stated the government expressed in-principle approval for two other demands: providing one crore rupees in compensation to families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide and withdrawing legal cases against protesting students. The CJP, however, described the call for the minister's resignation as non-negotiable.

Union Minister Nadda confirmed the meeting was cordial and that the CJP had presented three...