Indus Valley Times

NEW DELHI, JULY 25 : Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation as Union Education Minister on Saturday, saying 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. It marks a rare case in which a senior Modi government minister has stepped down amid sustained street protests and political pressure.

Pradhan, whose resignation was the core demand of the protesters, announced his decision on X hours before the third round of talks between the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the Centre. Ahead of the third round of talks, the CJP leaders said Pradhan’s resignation was “non-negotiable”.

A couple of hours later, Pradhan announced his resignation in a lengthy social media post, triggering jubilation at Jantar Mantar – the site where activist Sonam Wangchuk began his indefinite fast and where the protesters found a home.

Sources told India Today that Pradhan resigned taking moral responsibility on his own and was not sacked. It suggests that the government was keen on giving him a dignified exit. The Odisha-born BJP leader first took office as Education Minister in 2021 and was re-appointed after the party won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

WHAT DHARMENDRA PRADHAN SAID IN RESIGNATION LETTER?

Pradhan, who had come under flak over a spate of exam paper leaks, made it clear at the outset that stepping down was “not a matter of personal prestige”. The NEET-UG paper leak in May seemingly became the final nail in the coffin for Pradhan.

“The developments of the past ten days have saddened me deeply. This is not a matter of personal prestige for me,” he said. In the next sentence, he stressed, “India’s youth are the country’s real strength.”

“From the very first day, I took responsibility for the matter (NEET leak) 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.

In his letter, Pradhan underlined that developments of the past 10 days had left him “deeply saddened”, referring to the massive July 20 violence during the students’ march to Parliament. Over 180 student protesters and cops were injured in the violence.

Pradhan said he had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after considering the larger national interest.

However, in the same breath, he made it clear that a key reason behind his resignation was that he didn’t want the situation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to be used by forces working against the nation’s interests.

It was likely a veiled swipe at the opposition and the Congress, which took the fight to the Prime Minister’s doorsteps earlier this week. On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi and several Congress leaders were detained during their flash protest outside PM Modi’s residence.

“Keeping in mind that anti-national forces should not take advantage of the situation… that the unity of the nation must remain intact, that the future of even a single student should not get entangled in legal complications, and that our children should devote their time to studies and focus on building their careers, I have sent my resignation to the Prime Minister,” Pradhan said.

-PTI