NEW DELHI: In a dramatic political development, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The announcement came via his official handle on X (formerly Twitter) just hours before a scheduled third round of talks between government representatives and student leaders.
Core Demand Met: The stepping down of Dharmendra Pradhan was the non-negotiable demand raised by student groups camping at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for over a month following exam irregularities and paper leak allegations.
Deadlock Broken: Talks between Union Ministers and representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had previously hit an impasse, with student delegates refusing further discussions unless Pradhan resigned.
Crucial Turning Point: The resignation arrives amid intense political pressure from opposition parties and continuous demonstrations across major university campuses.
Background & Impact
Protests had intensified across New Delhi and other parts of the country following widespread dissatisfaction over exam handling, NTA irregularities, and police action against demonstrators. While the Centre had initially signalled that the Minister’s resignation was not on the cards, the sheer scale of the agitation and deadlocked negotiations ultimately compelled the move.
Further announcements regarding an interim charge for the Ministry of Education and official acceptance from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) are awaited.
