Union Health Minister J P Nadda has emerged as the Centre's key interlocutor in resolving the nearly four-week-long CJP-led agitation over the alleged NEET paper leak. Leading the government's negotiations with protesters, Nadda held multiple rounds of talks with activist Sonam Wangchuk before being present at Medanta Hospital when the activist ended his indefinite hunger strike. His role in brokering dialogue between the Centre and the protesters culminated in the government's assurance that students participating in peaceful demonstrations would not face punitive or retaliatory legal action, paving the way for Wangchuk to call off his fast even as discussions on the protesters' broader demands continue.Talks with CJP representativesSoon after the protests began, Union Health Minister J P Nadda held the first round of talks with representatives of the youth-led CJP in Delhi on July 20. The delegation presented its demands to the government, including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. According to the CJP, Nadda assured the representatives that the demands would be discussed at the appropriate level.The protesters had put forward three key demands for ending their agitation in the national capital. Outlining the conditions, CJP spokesperson Sourav Das said, "First, the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. Second, Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of all those students who died by suicide due to the NEET paper leak. Third, all FIRs filed unnecessarily against peaceful protesters must be withdrawn, and we want a sovereign guarantee from the government that no such FIRs will be registered against any peaceful demonstrator in the future."The following day, Nadda visited RML Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College to meet protesters and police personnel who were injured during the demonstrations. Later that night, he, along with Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh, met activist Sonam Wangchuk at a hospital in Gurugram to explore a way forward.On Wednesday, Nadda also addressed a press conference where he accused Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of being selective in his criticism, pointing out that paper leak incidents had also occurred in states ruled by various Opposition parties.After Wangchuk ended his fast, Nadda held another round of talks with CJP representatives on Friday. The meeting lasted for nearly two hours.J P Nadda and Sonam WangchukActivist Sonam Wangchuk ended his indefinite hunger strike, one of the defining features of the protest, after the government assured him that his concerns would be addressed.He announced the end of his fast after Union Ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh met him at Medanta Hospital around Thursday midnight and conveyed the government's assurances.Prior to Wangchuk breaking his fast, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a four-hour meeting with Union Health Minister J P Nadda and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh to review the situation, reported NDTV. During the meeting, the government decided to adopt a positive approach towards the demands raised by Wangchuk while making his health and well-being its top priority, the sources said.Following the Home Minister's directions, Jitendra Singh spoke to Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, assuring her that the government was committed to addressing the activist's concerns. He also urged her to persuade Wangchuk to end his hunger strike. Later that evening, Nadda and Jitendra Singh met Wangchuk at Medanta Hospital and personally handed over the government's assurance letter.Why was J P Nadda chosen to lead the talks?Assigning Union Health Minister J P Nadda to engage with the protesters was a carefully calibrated decision by the government, reported Indian Express.“Visiting the injured students in hospital, in his capacity as health minister, was not only the proper response to underline that the government views the situation with seriousness, but also good optics,” a BJP leader told Indian Express.“Given his long-standing experience with student politics as well as his communication and negotiation skills — he had put these on display recently to ensure peace among party factions in Uttarakhand — he fits the bill perfectly,” the leader added.“Deploying senior faces such as the Union Home Minister, to whom the Delhi Police reports, could have been counterproductive; on the other hand, the Raksha Mantri as the face of negotiation could have added a sense of exaggerated urgency,” the BJP leader told Indian Express.The party also ruled out assigning BJP president Nitin Nabin to the outreach despite his long association with the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.