New Delhi: Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down on Saturday following prolonged student demonstrations in Delhi that demanded his exit over
irregularities in examinations, especially the NEET-UG paper leak.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) described the resignation as a success for the student agitation. In a post shared on X, the party stated, “Long live student power.”
Protesters at Jantar Mantar erupted in celebration once the news broke. Footage from the venue captured students, including Dipke, rejoicing over the development.
In a Hindi letter directed to the nation’s youth and uploaded on X, Pradhan accepted moral accountability for the issues linked to the medical entrance test while upholding the government’s response to the crisis.
‘I accepted responsibility’
“From the very first day, I accepted responsibility and never turned away from this situation,” Pradhan wrote. He noted that after irregularities surfaced in the NEET-UG exam held on May 3, 2026, the Narendra Modi government promptly handed the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), scrapped the test, and conducted a re-examination on June 21. That fresh exam, he said, was carried out successfully through a “whole-of-government approach” that brought together the Centre, state governments and district administrations.
At the same time, he claimed that “individuals occupying responsible positions” had tried to mislead students during the episode, an effort that left him with “deep anguish.”
He stopped short of naming any persons or groups, though he has criticised Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in recent days.
‘Not personal prestige’
Pradhan observed that the developments of the preceding 10 days had left him distressed, yet insisted the matter was “not a matter of personal prestige.”
His choice, he explained, stemmed from the need to safeguard students and maintain national unity.
“Considering the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and across the country, and to ensure that anti-national forces do not take advantage of it, that the country’s unity remains intact, that not a single student’s future gets entangled in legal complications, and that our children devote their time to studies and building their careers, I have submitted my resignation to the Hon’ble Prime Minister,” he wrote. He added that young people must not be drawn into “the trap of misinformation and confusion.”
