By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR:Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, has resigned . Dharmendra Pradhan couldn’t implement all 101 recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee, which was formed after the NEET paper leak in 2024, despite receiving suggestions from 37,144 stakeholders.
Student-led protests (notably by the Cockroach Janta Party / CJP at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere), opposition parties, and civil society groups calling for accountability over exam management failures, alleged student suicides linked to the stress, and broader issues with the National Testing Agency (NTA).
This follows prolonged student-led protests (notably by the Cockroach Janta Party / CJP at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, ongoing since mid-June 2026) demanding his resignation over repeated controversies involving the NEET-UG exam, including paper-leak allegations in 2024 and again in 2026. The 2026 issues led to the cancellation of the original exam, a retest involving over 2 million students, reports of student suicides linked to the stress, police action against protesters, and strong opposition demands for accountability.
Two blockbuster reels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were released before his resignation, meaning the entire action was credited to the PM. He directly communicated with Gen Z. In the eyes of this generation, he has established himself as a “cool” parent. Dharmendra Pradhan may now be assigned to the organization, as his return to government appears highly unlikely.
Breaking Sonam Wangchuk’s fast, PM Modi’s reels and Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation – all three steps will ultimately work in the government’s favour.
Pradhan (born 26 June 1969, Talcher, Odisha; BJP leader and MP from Sambalpur) had been Education Minister since 7 July 2021. He previously handled Petroleum & Natural Gas (2014–2021), Steel (2019–2021), and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
