The resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a demand sustained over long weeks by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and young protesters, is not the first instance of a Minister resigning from the Narendra Modi government, nor is it the first time this government has blinked in the face of a strong protest movement.
The Union government under Mr. Modi walked back on the the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Ordinance in 2015, after repromulgating it thrice. Former Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar resigned in 2018 after allegations were levelled against him in the #MeToo movement. The Farm Laws were withdrawn after months of protests by farmers at Delhi’s doorstep in 2021. Mr. Pradhan’s resignation may be seen as a part of this series of reversals. On the other hand, the government carried the day in other protests, including by the students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University here in 2016, and the widespread protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019-2020, in which the polarisation suited the BJP’s base.
Published - July 25, 2026 07:14 pm IST