Celebrations broke out at the Jantar Mantar protest site on Saturday when news of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation arrived, leaving Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) chief Abhijeet Dipke visibly relieved.
Dipke, who has been leading the protest that sought Pradhan’s resignation along with broader education reforms in the wake of the alleged paper leaks, received a phone call about the resignation.
“We have done it. Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned,” Dipke told the crowd.
“This is a big win. It shows that the country is run by the constitution. This is just the beginning,” he later said.
He furth said that, “It used to be said that resignations do not happen in this (NDA) government. Jhukti hai duniya, jhukaane vaala chahiye.”
Massive celebrations were observed at the protest site. The CJP leadership congratulated the protesters, while spokesperson Saurav Das said that they would remain there until written confirmation was received.
Police officials at the outer barricades appeared quite relaxed. The practice of recording names and social media accounts at the entrance had stopped, and security checks had also been scaled back.
What Dharmendra Pradhan said upon resigning
In a Hindi letter addressed to the nation’s youth and posted on X, Dharmendra Pradhan stated that he was accepting moral responsibility for the developments surrounding the medical entrance examination, while defending the government’s handling of the crisis.
“From the very first day, I accepted responsibility and never turned away from this situation,” Pradhan wrote. He said that once irregularities were detected in the NEET-UG examination conducted on May 3, 2026, the Narendra Modi government immediately transferred the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), cancelled the examination, and announced and held a fresh test. The former minister said the re-examination held on June 21 was conducted successfully through a “whole-of-government approach”, involving the Centre, state governments and district administrations.
Meanwhile, he alleged that “individuals occupying responsible positions” had tried to mislead students amid the controversy, stating that these efforts had caused him “deep anguish.”
Bureau Report
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