Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union education minister on Saturday, after weeks of protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party over non-compliance with the NEET-UG examination. In a letter to X, Mr. Pradhan said the decision was made to prevent the controversy from “damaging the future of students” and to ensure that “anti-national forces do not take advantage of this situation.“The letter, which was written in Hindi and is addressed to the youth of the country, explained that the resignation is only to show that he has a responsibility and not because of following political principles. “This is not a matter of fame for me,” said Pradhan.
Retirement history
Irregularities surfaced in the NEET-UG exam held on May 3, 2026. According to Pradhan, the government moved quickly when the irregularities were discovered, handing over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation, canceling the exam and announcing a re-examination. The re-examination was held on 21 June and the results were declared on 16 July.In his letter, Pradhan described the government’s initiative as a “whole-of-government initiative,” crediting state and district administrations for supporting the initiative. He also said that the examination will go to Computer-Based Test from next year.“From day one, I took responsibility and never let go of it,” Pradhan said. “My determination was that we will not allow the hopes of any student who has done good things to be destroyed because of the exam mafia, and we will not allow any student to be treated unfairly.”
False allegations
Pradhan used part of the letter to criticize unnamed people for misleading students during the crisis. “Even at this time, people in positions of authority tried to disturb the students, which made me very sad,” he wrote.He did not name anyone, though he criticized Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on the matter in recent days.
Reason for resignation
Pradhan linked his idea directly to the Jantar Mantar protests and their nationwide spread. “Considering what happened at Jantar Mantar and across the country, and to ensure that anti-national groups do not take advantage, that the unity of the country is maintained, that the future of every student does not get into legal trouble, and that our children spend their time studying and focus on their work, I have written a letter of resignation to the Prime Minister.He closed the letter by thanking the Prime Minister and his colleagues in the Council of Ministers, and said he would continue to work for “the aspirations of Mother India, the people of Odisha and the youth of the country.”