Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 25: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid continuing nationwide student protests over the NEET paper leak issue.
Pradhan announced his decision in a post on X just hours before the third round of talks between the Centre and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has been leading the month-long protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
The protesters had made Pradhan's resignation their primary demand, and negotiations between the Centre and the CJP had remained deadlocked over the issue. On Saturday morning, the CJP reiterated that it would not participate in talks unless the government removed the education minister from office.
With Pradhan's resignation, the government has now met all the key demands raised by the protesters. These included the resignation of the Education Minister, assurance of no legal action against student protesters, and compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following the alleged NEET paper leak.
While the Centre had agreed to the latter two demands during Friday's discussions, it had not commented on the demand for Pradhan's resignation until now.
In his post on X, Pradhan wrote: "I hold deep respect for the aspirations, sentiments, and rightful expectations of the youth of this country. Realising the dreams of India's young generation has been the moral resolve of our political and social life. I express my gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister for the opportunity given to me to serve the nation under his visionary leadership."