Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday said he respects the sentiments of students and does not believe in "suppressing their voices through force", asserting that dialogue remains the most effective way to address their concerns.
The Lok Jansashakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief made the remarks in the aftermath of the violent clashes that erupted on Monday between Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) supporters and security personnel during the 'Sansad Chalo' march in Delhi.
Speaking to reporters, Paswan said that while students were naturally upset over the issues that prompted the protest, their concerns deserved to be heard with sensitivity rather than met with force. "Look, the way the protest took place yesterday, I respect the sentiments of the students.
It is natural that they would have anger and concerns over these issues, which is why they came out on the streets. But at the same time, I am absolutely not in favour of any attempt to suppress the voices of students through force," he said.
Referring to the meeting between Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and representatives of the CJP, Paswan said the Centre has consistently preferred dialogue as the means to resolve disputes and has remained open to engaging with those seeking discussions.
"Dialogue is a beautiful medium, and the government has always kept its doors open for it. When their representatives wanted to meet the government, J.P. Nadda ji met them, and the issues were discussed," he said. Paswan further observed that public anger often drives people to take to the streets and noted that peaceful demonstrations are an integral part of a democratic system.
At the same time, he said that when protests cross permissible limits or create law-and-order challenges, authorities are sometimes compelled to take stringent measures, although he personally does not strongly support such action. "Many times, public anger leads people to come out on the streets, and in a democracy, peaceful protest is permitted.
However, if certain limits are crossed or if law and order is affected, sometimes strict steps have to be taken. I do not strongly support such measures. I think that the feelings of the students, youth and the future of the country should be respected and my government is committed to do it," he added.
The clashes erupted on Monday as thousands of supporters of the CJP and students marched from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over recurring examination irregularities, including the NEET-UG paper leaks.