Dharmendra Pradhan resigns as Union Education Minister amid NEET protest fallout
New Delhi, July 25 (TNT): Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday resigned from the Union Council of Ministers amid sustained nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and other competitive tests.
The President accepted his resignation, while Union Minister Pralhad Joshi was given additional charge of the Education Ministry.
In a letter addressed to the country’s youth, Pradhan said he had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in view of the prevailing situation across the country.
He said the decision was taken to ensure that students’ futures were not affected and that anti-national forces did not exploit the unrest.
Pradhan said he had remained committed to students, teachers and education reforms for over four decades and thanked the Prime Minister for giving him the opportunity to serve the nation.
He maintained that the government had acted promptly after irregularities in the NEET-UG examination came to light.
Following the resignation, the Centre assigned the Education Ministry to Pralhad Joshi in addition to his existing portfolios. The President’s Secretariat issued a communique confirming the change.
The resignation came after weeks of protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and student groups demanding accountability over the alleged examination irregularities.
Protesters had staged demonstrations at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and in several parts of the country.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi described the resignation as a “victory of students” and called for comprehensive reforms in the education system.
He also demanded action against those responsible for the alleged use of force against protesters.
Social activist Anna Hazare appealed for peaceful methods of protest, saying violence could never provide a lasting solution and stressing that democratic means should be used to seek reforms.
The CJP welcomed Pradhan’s resignation but said its broader campaign for examination reforms would continue. Later in the day, the organisation announced that it was ending its agitation after the government accepted its key demands and assured further discussions on education reforms.
TNT TS
