Union Minister JP Nadda on Thursday reiterated the government's willingness to hold another round of talks with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), even as Delhi Police sources said people found directly involved in violence during the ongoing protests could face passport cancellation.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Nadda said the government remained open to further discussions with the protesters.
Asked if the government was ready for another round of talks with the CJP, Nadda replied, "Yes, we are ready".
"They can come either to my residence or my office," he said when asked about the venue of the meeting.
Nadda's remarks came after the CJP rejected his invitation for talks earlier on Thursday, according to sources.
The party has maintained that any future discussions with the government should take place either at the protest site or at a neutral venue. A source told PTI, "An invitation was sent to the CJP by JP Nadda for talks today, but those sitting on the stage at the protest site turned down the invitation."
Addressing a press briefing at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, where the CJP has been camping since last month demanding accountability over the alleged NEET paper leak and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the party's chief spokesperson Saurav Das said police had informed them that Nadda had invited them to his residence.
"We refused to go to anyone's house or office. The people's court is here. Ministers should come among the people. If they want to talk, it should be held at the Jantar Mantar," Das said.
He, however, said the CJP remained open to dialogue and was willing to consider a neutral venue near the protest site if there were security concerns.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police sources said people found directly involved in what the police described as violence during the ongoing CJP protest could face cancellation of their passports.
According to the sources, Delhi Police has begun identifying individuals allegedly involved in rioting and other violent acts using CCTV footage, video recordings and other technical evidence.
The sources said action to cancel passports may be initiated in accordance with the applicable legal provisions against those found to have actively participated in the violence.
(With inputs from PTI)