MEA refutes viral claim on spokesperson's remarks about foreign funding in protests
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has dismissed as misleading a social media post that falsely attributed a statement to its spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal regarding foreign funding behind recent youth protests in Delhi.
The protests, led by a group often referred to as CJP, began in Delhi and spread across the country. They centred on allegations of a question paper leak in the NEET (UG) examination, which ultimately led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In a clarification on Sunday, the MEA's fact-check unit stated on X: "The post is misleading and misrepresents the statement of the spokesperson." It shared Jaiswal's actual response during a media briefing on Friday, in which he said: "Madhu, regarding the point you raised about allegations of foreign funding and other such claims in connection with the ongoing protests, I would like to say that I do not have any information on this matter to share with you at this time."
The viral post had claimed that Jaiswal said: "I have been asked about the funding of the CJP protest many a time. I want to say that our intelligence & investigation reveals there is no foreign funding in it." The MEA clarified that this was not accurate.
The protest group, which originated as an online satirical platform, was formed after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant referred to a section of unemployed youth as "cockroaches" during a court proceeding. The CJI later stated that his remark was misquoted.
The allegations of foreign funding were partly based on the background of the group's founder, Abhijit Dipke, a former student of Boston University. Dipke founded the group in Boston and returned to India in June to lead the protests demanding accountability over the NEET paper leak.
The demonstrations peaked on July 20 with a march to Parliament, where police intervened. Opposition parties criticised the police action, while authorities maintained that the protest turned violent. The 37-day agitation ended after the government accepted all demands, leading to Pradhan's resignation. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has been given additional charge of the education ministry.
