NEW DELHI: The Centre is unlikely to remove Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan despite mounting demands for his resignation, as it believes he cannot be held responsible for the NEET paper leak, news agency PTI reported, citing a senior government functionary.According to the report, the government is, however, willing to favourably consider the demand for compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following the alleged paper leak.The Centre is also open to engaging seriously with protesters led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), though it believes there should be flexibility over the venue of the talks, instead of insisting on a particular location, the functionary told PTI.The report added that the government has held a series of meetings on the issue involving Union home minister Amit Shah, health minister JP Nadda, commerce minister Piyush Goyal and Pradhan.The development comes after Nadda, at a press conference on Wednesday, reiterated the Centre’s willingness to discuss the alleged NEET paper leak in Parliament under any format and for any duration agreed upon by the Opposition.“We have wanted this issue to be discussed in Parliament. Whether it is a short-duration discussion or a long-duration discussion, you decide how much time you want. The government is ready for discussion, and the Opposition should not keep changing the goalpost,” he said.Calling Parliament the appropriate forum to address the issue, Nadda urged both the government and the Opposition to work together on a long-term solution.“Children are ours, yours, and the future of the country. It is the responsibility of both the government and the Opposition to protect their future. We should discuss every aspect and come up with a concrete policy,” he said.Earlier in the day, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi called for Pradhan’s resignation, saying it was among the protesters’ “non-negotiable” demands.The CJP has been spearheading protests over the alleged examination irregularities since June.Its Parliament march on July 20 saw students and supporters attempting to reach Parliament despite heavy police barricading, lathi-charge and the use of tear gas. The march was eventually halted near Parliament Street, where multiple layers of barricades had been erected.
