00:00So do we finally have a deal between the Kokhrut Janata Party and the government of India?
00:07That's the big question I want to take to Ashutosh Ranka, newsmaker, co-convener of the CJP.
00:14Ashutosh Ranka, after the Supreme Court today seemed to bring the two sides together,
00:19you have tweeted, in lieu of the 90 days deadline given by the government of India
00:24for compensating the families of NEET victims and quashing all FIRs against protesting students.
00:30You're calling off the 5th September, March.
00:33Are we right now that you've decided to give the benefit of doubt to the government of India
00:38that there is a rebuilding of trust suddenly between the CJP and the Modi government?
00:44No, Razeeb, the benefit of doubt was being given for last one month
00:48and only after we felt that there was a lot of back and forth happening from the side of government
00:54and the intentions of government were not really clear
00:57was when we had called for the September 5th protest.
01:00However, given the stance taken by the government via Solicitor General today in the Supreme Court
01:07where all the FIRs being quashed was agreed upon and across the country all the FIRs now stand quashed
01:13and then secondly, a very clear deadline of 90 days was given as far as the compensation part was concerned.
01:21That meant that the government is now finally acting on the deal that was already made on July 25th
01:28and that was the reason we have decided to call off the protest.
01:30So effectively, you're saying that so long as within this 90 days deadline,
01:34the government compensates the victims of those who committed death by suicide during NEET
01:40and takes away all the FIRs, no more agitations, am I correct?
01:45At least for the next 90 days.
01:47The FIRs have already been quashed by the Supreme Court today under the Article 142.
01:52That's already done.
01:53Yeah, but just a minute.
01:55Apart from that, the application for quashing FIR,
01:58the union government has also told the court that they will continue prosecuting 2,873 individuals in Delhi
02:05with serious criminal antecedents as per the National Crime Record Bureau.
02:10So, they've made a distinction.
02:11You're okay with that?
02:12Yes.
02:13That we will carry on FIRs against those who resorted to violence.
02:16Other protesters, student protesters, no FIRs.
02:20See, Razdeep, we were very clear that if there were heinous criminals out there in the protest,
02:25it was the responsibility of Delhi police from the first place
02:28that why were these criminals allowed to go to Jantar Mantar in the first place?
02:31Now that the police has made a very clear distinction between those people and the peaceful protesters,
02:38I think that's a very sort of well-noted point.
02:41And we have been very clear that there should not have been any FIR against the protester or organizer in
02:47the first place
02:48because it was a peaceful protest from day one.
02:50Now that the government has finally acted upon the deal already made on July 25th,
02:55the matter stands closed from our side.
02:56Okay, you're saying the matter stands closed as far as FIRs against the student protesters,
03:01given what the Supreme Court has said today.
03:03But among your original demands was one crore per family for needling suicide victims.
03:09The center has so far only committed to honorary compensation as per rules.
03:15And many would say this was an unreasonable demand of CJP in the first place.
03:19Do you have any?
03:20Is that a demand you're still sticking to?
03:22Rajdeep, I am in a car right now and I have just visited the family of Pradeep Meghwal.
03:29A young lad from Seeker who committed suicide after the need paper leaked.
03:35And I'll actually share the visuals of that family's house on my Twitter account very soon.
03:41Just look at their house.
03:43Just hear their story out.
03:45How they afforded 2-3 lakhs to actually pay for their son's coaching.
03:49And what it means for them to lose their son to a mafia, to a paper mafia.
03:56One crore, I don't think any amount can bring back Pradeep.
04:02But it will be some compensation, it will be some relief for families like Pradeep's
04:08who come from low-income groups, from low-middle-income groups.
04:12Their only way to upwards mobility was educating their child and they have lost their child to the system.
04:19One crore is the least any government can do.
04:22No, but the government is not committing to that.
04:24The government is saying honorary compensation as per rules.
04:28Do you have a commitment from the government that they will give one crore?
04:32Rajdeep, again, I think it will be shameful for the government
04:37that if they are not able to even honour the minimum compensation for the students of our own country.
04:43These are students from our own country.
04:45But as I said, given the developments in the last 2-3 days,
04:49because the last 2-3 days is when the government showed quite proactiveness
04:53and a very clear stance from the government that they wanted the compensation to be given out.
05:00They were just working out the final modalities because the states had to be involved
05:04and they were trying to, you know, make sure that nothing sort of comes in between.
05:10That's the only reason why they want some more days.
05:12And they have already said, I think Mr. Mehta already said on record today,
05:16that they'll try to get it done in less than a month or a couple of months.
05:19Three months is to be on the safe side.
05:21So, again, I really hope that what happened in last one month won't be repeated
05:27and what has been said on record in Supreme Court today,
05:32the 90-day deadline would be honoured.
05:34There is, of course, one more demand you had at the time for the pellet guns.
05:37Apology from the forces that you accused of using those pellet guns on the protesters.
05:43There's still no clarity on that from the government.
05:46In fact, government denies even till date officially that any pellet guns were used.
05:50I think, Rajdeep Aap, if it's raining outside and you just say that it's not raining outside,
05:56doesn't mean that it's not raining outside.
05:57So, the government cannot run away from the fact that pellet guns were indeed used.
06:02There are now RTIs out there from the hospitals where the hospitals have actually mentioned
06:07number of people who are injured by the use of these pellet guns.
06:10So, the government can say whatever it wants.
06:12There was use of pellet guns.
06:14It's out there in the public.
06:16And as the home minister of this country, Mr. Amit Shah needs to come out in the public.
06:21He needs to stop hiding himself.
06:23And he needs to tell what happened, under whose direction it happened,
06:27and what is being done to make sure this is not repeated again.
06:30Is that a core demand?
06:31Is that also one of your demands, though?
06:33Does that demand still stay?
06:34Again, see, the three core demands that we had made from day one,
06:39we have been very clear.
06:40It was around Mr. Pradhan's resignation.
06:42It was around the 1CR compensation.
06:44And it was around the withdrawal of FIs and no future FIs.
06:48So, those were the three core demands.
06:50But this, given the events of 20th July, it is only relevant,
06:56it is only logical that the government comes and publicly tells
07:01what happened on the day of July 20th.
07:04I will therefore ask you in conclusion,
07:06am I to now believe that you put July 20th behind you,
07:09you are looking ahead.
07:10Whatever now happens, you are now looking at your next big campaign,
07:15which are sort of getting schools right, going around the countries.
07:18The Kaukrut Janata Party in that sense now putting July 20th behind
07:22and looking at its next role or next adaptation.
07:24As I said, I visited Pradeep's family.
07:28And for them, the need paper leak can never be put behind.
07:32It can never be done.
07:33Any amount of compensation, any amount of support,
07:36any amount of relief from the government,
07:37or for the matter of fact, from CJP's side,
07:39cannot, you know, put an end to what they are going through.
07:43Nothing can end it.
07:44Yes.
07:45But we will continue fighting for the students of this country.
07:48We are now focused on visiting government schools,
07:51making sure that there is accountability around government schools.
07:54And that will very much be the focus of our campaign for now.
07:57Okay.
07:57I'm going to leave it there, Ashutosh Ranga,
08:00for joining me here at the top of the show.
08:02Thank you very much.
