NEW DELHI: In a humble appeal from the government to the Cockroach Janta Party and student protesters, Union Minister and Minister of State (MoS) Jitendra Singh on Thursday said that the centre does not "stand on prestige" and reiterated that it is ready for discussions "any time".
"The govt has sent four formal proposals for discussions with their representatives since last afternoon... This is a standing invitation to all our youth friends that the government is ready for discussions on all issues at your convenience, at any time," he said.
Singh said that the talks can take place either at his colleague in the Cabinet, JP Nadda's office or residence and that Nadda and he will be present for discussions.
JP Nadda, who held the first round of talks, also echoed similar sentiments. "Yes, we are ready. Come to our residence or to our official office," the Union Health Minister said outside the Parliament.
Notably, earlier on Wednesday, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said that the next round of talks will take place at the protest site and, if the government is concerned about security at the protest site, they are willing to meet at a neutral venue near Jantar Mantar.
"Slowly, by way of discussion, we will progress towards a solution. This is a part of the series of continuous steps taken by the govt for the welfare of the students. Humbly, I appeal to you all to come and have discussions," the Union Minister said.
Earlier meeting with government
Earlier on Monday, the first interaction between the government and the protesters took place. Nadda met CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at his residence on Monday afternoon. He heard their demands and appealed to them to end their protest.
Earlier on Tuesday, Dipke accused the Centre of wasting his party's time by initiating talks while simultaneously cracking down on protesters demanding action over the alleged NEET paper leak.
Addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, Dipke claimed the government's actions during Monday's meeting with Union Health Minister JP Nadda raised questions about its intentions. He alleged that while the government invited a CJP delegation for discussions, police were taking action against protesters on the streets.
