Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das said he had been at Health Minister J. P. Nadda’s office since noon after the government opened discussions with representatives of the protest movement. Das stated that the delegation conveyed its key demands, including the immediate resignation or dismissal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to Das, Nadda assured the delegation that the demands would be discussed at the appropriate level. However, he emphasized that no commitments had been made by the government. Das declared that the peaceful protest would continue until the demand for Pradhan’s resignation was fulfilled.
🚨#ImportantAnnouncement: @AshutoshRanka and I have been at J.P. 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… pic.twitter.com/vzLluczbkV
— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) July 20, 2026
🚨#ImportantAnnouncement: @AshutoshRanka and I have been at J.P. Nadda’s residence since 12 noon. The demands have been conveyed, including immediate resignation/sacking of Dharmendra Pradhan.
— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) July 20, 2026
The Minister assured us he will discuss this at the appropriate level. However, no… pic.twitter.com/vzLluczbkV
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Das further claimed that the Health Minister assured the delegation that there would be no further crackdown at Jantar Mantar or in the surrounding protest areas. He also alleged that there had been no reports indicating that police had resumed stopping protesters following the meeting.
Health Minister J. P. Nadda later confirmed in a statement that a proposal for dialogue had been received from the protesters on Monday morning. He said the meeting was conducted in a cordial atmosphere and that an initial detailed verbal discussion took place with the delegation. According to Nadda, the protesters submitted a written petition to him at approximately 4:00 p.m.
Nadda also appealed to all protesters to end their sit-in demonstration and cooperate with the administration in restoring normal public life.
Meanwhile, demonstrations intensified across the national capital as thousands of young protesters attempted to march through security barricades. Protesters were met with baton charges and repeated rounds of tear gas, triggering chaotic scenes in several areas.
One protester said the demonstrators had only intended to demand their rights but were met with tear gas that made breathing difficult and caused severe irritation to their eyes. The protester said many people were forced to use paper collected from public toilets to wipe their eyes because of the effects of the gas.
Several protesters were seen wearing scarves over their mouths and noses in an effort to reduce exposure to the tear gas.
Another protester, who had traveled from Pune in western India, said tear gas had been fired moments earlier and claimed to have thrown one of the canisters back. The protester described intense burning in the eyes and expressed concern about the condition of demonstrators who did not have respiratory protection before rinsing the eyes with bottled water.
Amid the escalating protests, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, according to media reports. The purpose of the meeting was not immediately disclosed.
The developments followed the talks between Saurav Das, another spokesperson, and Health Minister J. P. Nadda earlier in the day. Das said that while the delegation submitted a written memorandum, Nadda assured them that he would hold internal discussions on the issues raised. Das added that the meeting lasted approximately ten minutes.
Reports also emerged regarding the alleged detention of Dipke. However, there has been no official confirmation of the reported detention.
The parallel developments of government negotiations, mounting street protests, police action, and high-level ministerial meetings have intensified the political significance of the movement. With protesters refusing to withdraw until their central demand is met and the government limiting its response to discussions without commitments, the standoff continues to draw national attention.
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