Amit Shah, Dharmendra Pradhan hold meeting amid CJP protest
New Delhi, July 20, 2026 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday held a nearly four-hour meeting in the national capital amid the ongoing protest by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) over the alleged NEET exam paper leak.
Meanwhile, a CJP delegation met Union Health Minister JP Nadda and demanded Pradhan's resignation and conveyed their demands.
They raised the party's demands, including the immediate resignation or removal of Pradhan over the alleged NEET exam paper leak.
In a post on X, Das wrote, "@AshutoshRanka and I have been at JP Nadda's residence since 12 noon. The demands have been conveyed, including immediate resignation/sacking of Dharmendra Pradhan."
"The Minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level. However, no commitments have been made so far. The peaceful protesters will not rest until the demand is met!" the post read.
Later, Nadda said the government held talks with the delegation of protesters, who submitted a written petition, and appealed to them to end their sit-in protest and help restore normalcy.
"This morning, for the first time, a proposal came from the protesters to hold talks with the government, and our discussions have been ongoing since 11:50 AM. The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere," Nadda said in a post on X.
"An initial verbal discussion was held in detail with their delegation, and they submitted a written petition to me around 4 PM. I have requested all the protesters to end their sit-in and assist the administration in restoring normalcy," the post read.
Delhi Police rejected claims by Saurav Das that a 12-year-old girl was assaulted and dozens of people were seriously injured during the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) protest, calling the allegations "false" and urging people not to spread misleading information.
"Fact check: False information is being currently circulated on social media regarding the posts claim that an individual named Geetanjali, a 12-year-old girl was assaulted, had her hair pulled, sustained a head injury, and approximately 40 to 50 other individuals suffered broken heads.
"This information is false. The claims being circulated in the posts are not true. Please do not spread or amplify false or misleading information," Delhi Police said.
"#ALERT: GEETANJALI JI'S HAIR PULLED BY DELHI POLICE, ASSAULTED. A 12 YEAR OLD GIRL'S HEAD HAS BEEN BROKEN. 40-50 OTHER HEADS BROKEN! @DelhiPolice WHAT IS GOING ON!?" Das said earlier in a post on X. (ANI)
However, after meeting AICC general secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, Channi had publicly stated that he would abide by the decision of the party leadership. The Congress high command has also reportedly advised state leaders against airing internal differences in public and has stressed the need to present a united front.
According to party sources, the leadership has directed the Punjab unit to intensify preparations for the Assembly elections by launching a series of public outreach programmes across the state.
The proposed campaign is expected to include rallies in the Majha, Doaba and Malwa regions, along with a statewide Congress Unity Bus Yatra aimed at projecting party unity and strengthening grassroots mobilisation.
Sources said senior Congress leaders are likely to travel together across Punjab in a specially designed campaign bus, covering a large number of Assembly constituencies. Rahul Gandhi is also expected to participate in or flag off the yatra, subject to his schedule.
Earlier this month, the Congress constituted several election-related committees for Punjab. Charanjit Singh Channi was appointed chairman of the campaign committee, Vijay Inder Singla was named head of the election management and coordination committee, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was given charge of the core committee, while Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh was appointed chairman of the manifesto committee.
The meeting is expected to finalise the roadmap for the party’s election campaign and organisational activities in the run-up to the Punjab Assembly polls.