Indian Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned from his office on Saturday widespread student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
The Minister shared his resignation on the social media platform X, where he noted “I have sent my resignation to the Hon’ble Prime Minister.”
The high-profile exit follows a turbulent period marked by continuous public demonstrations and mounting pressure regarding administrative oversight in the conductance of NEET exams.
Addressing the crisis through his formal communication, the outgoing minister defended his tenure while seeking to address the turbulence: “From the very first day, I took responsibility for this and never turned my back on the situation.”
While he emphasized his commitment to shielding students from examination irregularities, he highlighted the corruption within administrative circles, noting, “However, even during this time, individuals sitting in responsible positions attempted to create obstacles to mislead many students, which caused deep distress to my mind.”
Massive student protests demanding the minister’s removal have jolted the country over the preceding ten days, triggered by the tragic suicides of students affected by NEET irregularities.
Demonstrations led by the CJP rallied nationwide, drawing significant momentum from social activist Sonam Wangchuk’s twenty-six-day hunger strike. Public tension escalated further following brutal use of force by security personnel on the peaceful demonstrators on July 20, expanding protests across the country, outward from Jantar Mantar.
The political stale-mate took a turning point after a crucial meeting between representatives of CJP and government officials on Friday, during which the protestors representatives delivered a twenty-four-hour ultimatum demanding leadership changes.
The CJP spokesperson noted at the culmination of the meeting: “The protest will continue and will keep growing until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. If that does not happen soon, we will be forced to announce another nationwide protest call,” said Ashutosh Ranka.
Reflecting on his public service, the outgoing official noted that authorities successfully conducted the rescheduled computer-based tests for over two million candidates after earlier disruptions. He stated that witnessing the recent events deeply pained his mind, asserting that the step was necessary to preserve institutional integrity and allow students to focus entirely on their academic futures.
