New Delhi: Amid the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting and said that the government acted immediately after the NEET paper leak came to light.
He also termed the leak a "ghor paap" (grave sin) and said that all those involved had been arrested, adding that 13 accused are currently in custody.
Call for strict punishment
He also called for the strictest possible punishment for those responsible and highlighted that preventing paper leaks was a national responsibility, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, quoting the Prime Minister after the NDA Parliamentary Party's 'Mangal Milan.'
PM Modi's remarks came a day after thousands of protesters were tear-gassed, lathi-charged, and stopped from marching to Parliament.
Appeal to NDA lawmakers
He also urged his fellow National Democratic Alliance (NDA) lawmakers “not to incite children, but show them the right path".
“It is easy to go on the wrong path, but it is much tougher to come back onto the right path, and we have to bring them on the right path. That is our responsibility."
He also said the youth was being “misled". “Do not incite them, show them the right path," he said.
Supreme Court to hear petitions
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of petitions related to the NEET-UG paper leak case, with petitioners seeking the dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities.
Government holds first talks
Amid escalating protests, the first interaction between the government and the protesters took place. Union Health Minister JP 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.
