New Delhi, August 23:The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has warned the Centre not to mistake its decision to call off its nationwide agitation for “weakness”, saying it ended the protest in good faith after the government gave assurances to the country's youth.
The party's national working committee will meet on Monday to review the Centre's response to commitments made when the CJP withdrew its nationwide agitation on July 25. The party alleged that the government has yet to formally communicate the steps being taken to implement those assurances.
The CJP said the meeting would consider all options to ensure that the commitments are honoured, including the possibility of launching another peaceful nationwide agitation. It urged students, young citizens, supporters and volunteers to remain prepared for the outcome.
In a statement issued in New Delhi on Saturday, the party said it had ended its agitation “in good faith because the government gave its word to the young people of this country”. It warned that any attempt to “dilute, delay, reinterpret or dishonour” the commitments would amount to “vishwasghaat”, or betrayal, of the country's youth.
The development comes days after the Supreme Court, on August 18, sought a consolidated list of FIRs registered against students and protesters across the country. According to the CJP, the court sought the list three times to consider whether it could exercise its powers under Article 142 to quash the cases.
The party alleged that despite repeated requests from the court, the Union government did not commit to providing the list.
Following the hearing, CJP co-convener Saurav Das and legal affairs lead Ratna Singh reportedly raised concerns that the government was “cheating” the younger generation after the party had called off its agitation based on assurances given during talks with the Centre.
According to the CJP, the assurances included the withdrawal or quashing of FIRs related to the protests, a guarantee that students and peaceful protesters would not face punitive action in the future, and compensation for families of NEET-UG candidates who died by suicide after the examination was cancelled in May following allegations of paper leaks.
The party also claimed that the government delegation involved in talks with its representatives had not formally contacted the CJP to place on record the steps being taken to implement the written assurances, including those relating to FIRs and compensation.
The national working committee will assess the situation on Monday and decide the party's next course of action, including whether to resume a peaceful nationwide agitation.
The CJP withdrew its nationwide protest on July 25, shortly after then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the government assured that students and peaceful protesters would not face punitive action. The agitation had also focused on the NEET paper leak controversy and sought compensation for the families of candidates who died by suicide.