Ananya Lohia , New Delhi - The Centre on Thursday renewed its offer to hold talks with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) over the ongoing student protests, but the outfit refused to meet at Union Health Minister JP Nadda's residence, insisting that discussions should be held at Jantar Mantar.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the government was ready to hold talks either at JP Nadda's residence or office and claimed the Centre had already reached out to the CJP four times. He appealed to the protesters to engage in dialogue, saying the government was committed to finding a solution through discussions and did not believe in making the issue a matter of prestige.

Rejecting the invitation, CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das said ministers should come to Jantar Mantar if they were serious about talks. The outfit maintained that the protest site was the appropriate venue for discussions, though it was willing to consider a neutral location nearby if security was a concern. CJP also said meaningful dialogue could only take place if the government was prepared to address its key demands.

With both sides expressing willingness to hold talks but differing over the venue, the deadlock between the Centre and the CJP continues even as the student protest enters another day.