New Delhi: The resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday triggered sharp political reactions, with student leaders hailing it as the first major victory of their 36-day agitation, the Opposition demanding further accountability, and the BJP praising Pradhan’s tenure as a model of integrity.
Addressing thousands of supporters at Jantar Mantar, student leader and Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke said the resignation proved that sustained, peaceful public pressure could force accountability.
“This resignation is proof that if you don’t get scared and don’t bend before the government, you can secure accountability,” he said.
Describing Pradhan’s exit as “only the first wicket”, Dipke insisted that the movement would continue until broader examination reforms were implemented.
“The youth have shown they can force anyone’s resignation if they want. This is just the beginning,” he said, demanding action against police personnel accused of assaulting protesters, withdrawal of criminal cases against students and comprehensive reforms to India’s examination system.
He also urged a shift in national political discourse.
“If politics shifts from Hindu-Muslim debates to employment and education, even the strongest thrones will shake,” he said.
Dipke reiterated that the movement belonged to students and not to any individual, recalling that throughout the agitation he had discouraged slogans praising him personally.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk termed the resignation “a victory of democracy, direct democracy from the streets.”
“It is a victory of peace, patience and perseverance,” Wangchuk said, congratulating students and citizens “for shedding fear and rising up from every corner of the country.”
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi welcomed the minister’s resignation but said key issues remained unresolved.
He demanded action against those responsible for the alleged police excesses during the protests and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise to students affected by the NEET examination controversy.
He Rahul Gandhi said the students’ agitation against paper leaks has given a warning to the BJP-RSS regime that they cannot run the government as their personal fiefdom, and in case they did, they would face 10 times the scale of what happened during the stir.
He described the student protest as a fight between “the past” represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the RSS, and the future of India. Gandhi said he was confident that “the future of India will defeat the past”.
He also urged the prime minister to apologise to the students of the country for the “atrocities” committed on them during the agitation.
Pradhan resigned earlier in the day after weeks of nationwide protests over the NEET paper leak and demands for sweeping reforms in India’s examination system. The agitation, which began at Jantar Mantar on June 20, gained nationwide momentum following Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite fast and clashes between protesters and police during a march towards Parliament on July 20. Three rounds of talks between protest leaders and the Centre ultimately culminated in Saturday’s breakthrough. (PTI)
