New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned following mounting nationwide protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, marking a major political development amid growing demands for accountability over the examination controversy.
“The decision was driven by the need to protect the future of students and prevent ‘anti-national forces’ from exploiting the massive youth protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar,” Pradhan stated.
The core demand of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was the resignation of the Education Minister, and after massive uproar over the past few weeks, Pradhan finally stepped down from his position, announcing his decision on X before the third round of talks between the CJP and the Centre.
Pradhan posted a long message on his social media. With the Education Minister’s resignation, this will be one of the rare incidents when a senior BJP leader from the government has stepped down from his position amid a massive protest from the public.
With Pradhan announcing his resignation, it looks like the step-down decision was made on his own, and he was not sacked by the Modi government.
Pradhan took charge of the Education Ministry in 2021 for the first time, and after the NDA won the 2024 elections, the Odisha-born politician was re-appointed.
“From the very first day, I took responsibility for the matter and never turned away from this situation. My resolve was that we would not allow the examination mafia to destroy the prospects of any meritorious student,” he said.
Pradhan also said that over the last 10 days developments left him deeply saddened and also highlighted the July 20 protest, where students marched to Parliament and over 180 students were injured during the protest.
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