The Centre's first attempt to defuse the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests in Delhi reportedly involved offering to move Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to another ministry instead of removing him from the Cabinet.
The proposal, however, was rejected by the protesters, NDTV reported, citing sources.
According to the report, Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh put forward the proposal during talks with CJP representatives at Nadda's residence on July 20.
The meeting took place as police launched a crackdown on protesters marching towards Parliament.
CJP negotiators Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka turned down the offer outright, sources told the outlet, insisting that nothing less than Pradhan's complete resignation would satisfy the protesters.
The ministers reportedly countered that reshuffling or removing a minister was ultimately the Prime Minister's call to make, an argument that failed to move the CJP side, which warned that settling for anything short of a resignation risked triggering a sharp backlash among agitating students.
ALSO READ: 'This Is Just A Beginning': CJP Founder Abhijeet Dipke Releases Video, Thanks Youth For Victory
The standoff ended only on Saturday afternoon, when Pradhan resigned as Education Minister just hours ahead of a scheduled third round of talks, prompting the CJP to call off its agitation.
The report also noted that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had publicly dismissed the idea of a mere portfolio change as insufficient, telling reporters that swapping Pradhan's ministry "won't cut any ice with the students or the Opposition" and reiterating his demand for the minister's exit from government altogether.
In his resignation note, posted in Hindi on social media, Pradhan said he was stepping down to prevent "anti-national forces" from exploiting the unrest over examination paper leaks, adding that his decision was aimed at protecting national unity and ensuring students could focus on their studies without being drawn into legal complications.
The CJP's weeks-long protest had centred on demands over alleged irregularities in national-level examinations, with Jantar Mantar emerging as the focal point of the agitation before Pradhan's resignation brought it to a close.
ALSO READ: PM Modi Announces High-Powered Task Force On Examination Reforms Led By Nandan Nilekani
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.