DMK leader Kanimozhi condemned police action against protesters over NEET-UG paper leak. He said that the government is using violence against those who raise questions. At the same time, the protesters have demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and compensation.
‘Protest is the best form of democracy’
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Kanimozhi on Monday targeted the BJP-led government over police action against protesters in the NEET-UG paper leak case. He said that “protest is the most democratic way of expressing people’s opinion”. He said that the questions being asked by the protesters are legitimate. He told reporters, “Protests are the most democratic way of expressing people’s opinions and the questions that are being raised are legitimate. Unfortunately, the government does not want to address or answer these questions. Instead, it resorts to violence against those who are raising them. This is completely unacceptable.”
The monsoon session of Parliament remained turbulent on Monday. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and embezzlement of funds at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya.
Protestors put forward 3 major demands
Earlier in the day, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) chief spokesperson Saurav Das said he met Union Health Minister JP Nadda and put forward three demands, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of NEET aspirants, “of whom more than 20 have lost their lives”. He said hospitalized activist Sonam Wangchuk should be “immediately released”. Das said that the protest will continue till the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
Das told ANI, “We met JP Nadda twice. During the meeting, we put forward our three demands. First, Sonam Wangchuk be released immediately… Second, we demand that Dharmendra Pradhan should resign; he should either be dismissed from the cabinet or he should resign voluntarily. The protest will continue till his resignation is secured. Third, we demand compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of NEET aspirants, including More than 20 have lost their lives. We approached JP Nadda with these demands.”
Das and CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka met the Union Health Minister. He also explained the demands in a post on X. He said that he was at Nadda’s residence for about four hours. “Demands including immediate resignation/dismissal of Dharmendra Pradhan have been conveyed,” he said. He further said, “The minister has assured us that he will discuss it at the appropriate level. However, no commitment has been made yet. The peaceful protesters will not rest until the demands are met!”
Government talked to the protesters: Nadda
Nadda said in a post on Twitter that the government held talks with a delegation of protesters. “This morning, for the first time, a proposal for talks with the government came from the protesters, and our discussions have been going on since 11:50 am. The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere,” he said. He further said, “There were preliminary oral discussions in detail with their delegation, and they handed over a written petition to me at around 4 pm. I have requested all the protesters to end their protest and assist the administration in restoring normalcy.” (ANI)
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