- Govt asked protesters for time until Saturday afternoon.
- Protesters also want police cases dropped against them.
- Indian PM Modi proposes court plan for exam leaks.
NEW DELHI: Leaders of India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement said on Friday that the government has asked for time until Saturday afternoon to respond to their demand for the education minister’s resignation, following talks between the two sides.
The talks came hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike, raising hopes that the two sides could reach a breakthrough after tens of thousands of angry youth converged in the capital Delhi to demand the minister’s resignation over exam paper leaks.
The anti-government protests represent the biggest youth challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014. Opposition parties have echoed the movement’s demands and have disrupted the monsoon session of parliament that began this week.
The talks were the first substantive meeting between the two sides after a preliminary round held on Monday.
The government was represented by senior federal ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, while the protesters were represented by Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, spokespersons of the self-named Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
The CJP leaders said that they had clearly conveyed to the ministers that nothing would be acceptable to them without the education minister’s resignation, warning that protests would become even more widespread if this was not done.
“The government has asked for time until tomorrow afternoon to respond on this point [the minister’s resignation],” Ranka told reporters after the talks. “We hope the government will dismiss Dharmendra Pradhan at the earliest, or that he will resign, so that we can bring this matter to a conclusion.”
Minister Nadda said the talks took place in a cordial atmosphere.
“They had three main demands. We have told them we will meet you tomorrow afternoon and discuss the demands,” he said.
Besides the resignation of minister Pradhan, the protesters want police cases filed against protesters dropped, and compensation paid to families of more than a dozen students who local media reported took their own lives after the exam paper leak in May.
Metro stations shut, mobile internet blocked again
Authorities in Delhi shut down 16 metro rail stations on Thursday in and around the central parts of Delhi where the protesters have remained camped, inconveniencing thousands of commuters.
The government extended a mobile internet shutdown in the area until midnight on Friday, two industry sources told Reuters.
The government also defended surveillance by police at the protest site, saying in court that there was no right to privacy in a public space when there is a legitimate state interest.
Protesters reject Modi’s special courts proposal
Earlier on Thursday, Modi said that special courts would be set up to prosecute those behind exam paper leaks, his first public response to the crisis.
“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth!” Modi posted on X.
But CJP rejected the proposal, saying what courts do after paper leaks is just one aspect of the problem.
Later in the day, Modi said on social media that the government would announce stricter actions against paper leaks at a cabinet meeting on Friday.
Youth-led, street protests in neighbouring Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal have brought down governments in recent years.
Although national elections are due only by April 2029, key states like the most populous, Uttar Pradesh, run by Modi’s party, his home state of Gujarat, and Punjab, vote next year and anti-government sentiment could have an impact, analysts say.
