New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has given a the central government a sharp deadline to sack the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan within the next “one or two days,” warning them of a fresh and larger round of nationwide youth protests. The CJP spokespersons statements came on Friday (July 24) after a delegation representing the protesting students’ demands met with BJP leaders J.P. Nadda and Jitender Singh.Speaking to reporters after the meeting, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said they placed three “non-negotiable demands” before the government in writing:The resignation or removal of Pradhan from the Union Cabinet – the central persisting demand.Compensation for families of students who died as a result of the irregularities in the NEET-UG examination.The withdrawal of all first information reports filed against protesters, along with a guarantee that no new cases will be registered.According to Ranka and fellow spokesperson Saurav Das, the centre, during the discussion, indicated that it was in-principle agreeable to the second and third demands, however, it has sought more time to respond on Pradhan’s resignation. A follow-up meeting has been scheduled for 3.30 pm on Saturday (July 25).CJP also presented a five-point agenda for broader educational reform in the country, but insisted that it will only be further deliberated upon once the three primary demands, starting with Pradhan’s exit, are addressed.‘Nothing less will work for us’Addressing the crowd at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar shortly after the meeting, Ranka unambiguously reiterated the movement’s red line. He said, “Who is accountable for the kids who lost their lives due to the NEET paper leak? We know the answer,” while asserting that their is country-wide consensus Pradhan must go.He further cautioned the government against testing the youth’s patience. “We have told them we can’t wait a lot more time on this. If Pradhan does not leave his seat within the next 1-2 days, then one more national call for protest will be given. This one will be much bigger than July 20, and it will be national. We have explained all this and we think they have understood it, that everyone in the country only wants Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Nothing less will work for us,” he said.CJP’s founder Abhijeet Dipke went a step further. He said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, if you don’t sack Dharmendra Pradhan, the youth will start demanding your resignation.”Allegations of selective detentionDas told PTI that they also raised concerns over what he described as indiscriminate detentions of young protesters by the Delhi Police over the preceding 24 hours during the meeting. He said that people simply leaving Jantar Mantar, innocently walking towards the protest site and even food delivery personnel had been picked up by the state. He added that several lawyers had also been manhandled in the process.Das said such actions were deepening the “trust deficit” between protesters and authorities. While the government’s initial response was to deny that such incidents were occurring, it reportedly assured the delegation that if they were happening, they would not be allowed to continue.Measures proposed by the centre are ‘eyewash’Das, speaking to reporters late last night, had said the measures proposed by the central government such as fast-track courts are “eyewash” and people should not get “taken in” by them.While expressing relief over the end of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s fast after 26 days, Das told PTI that CJP’s demands remain the same and that the protests will continue until those are met.On measures suggested by the prime minister, who finally broke his silence on the issue after days of nationwide anti-incumbent agitation, he noted that the fast-track courts were merely a “bandaid solution.”“The fast-track courts, they are not created afresh. The existing courts, where there is huge pendency, especially in the lower courts, those courts are designated as fast-track courts. So, they think they are solving a problem, when they really are not. And, in the process, creating more problems for the judiciary, so, what we really need is a holistic approach to this issue of paper leak, about the issue of education reform,” said Das.He urged the youth of the country, especially those who are out on the streets demanding justice, to not accept this “eyewash.”‘We will get back to them’: NaddaNadda, after the meeting, said, “We listened to their concerns, and the issues were discussed from various perspectives. We heard their demands and conveyed that we would get back to them.”CJP has been demanding the resignation of Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan over the various failures and irregularities in national education system, including the cancellation of the NEET-UG examination in May 2026 after a paper leak.On Thursday (July 23), in a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, responding to the ongoing youth movement, said, “Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks…Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.”Following the green-light from the prime minister, a flurry of messages from BJP politicians and Bollywood actors, who had until then been blissfully silent on the month-long protests, started to pour in.After the centre promised accountability and stringent action against those responsible for the paper leak, which resulted in the death of several teenagers, and agreed to a discuss the students’ demands, Wangchuk agreed to end his hunger strike.