Dharmendra Pradhan resigns amid massive student protests over NEET leak fiasco

Dharmendra Pradhan, whose resignation as Education Minister was the core demand of the protesters, announced his decision in a lengthy post on X. Pradhan underlined that stepping down was not a matter of personal prestige.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. 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. It marks a rare case in which a senior Modi government minister has stepped down amid sustained street protests and political pressure.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. 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."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. 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 protests and cops were injured in the violence.- EndsPublished On: Jul 25, 2026 14:24 IST