- Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned as India's education minister after offering to step down on the first day of protests.
- Kailash Vijayvargiya claimed that Pradhan's resignation foiled the designs of 'foreign forces' that sought to destabilise India by spreading violence, similar to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as India's education minister amid widespread protests over the NEET paper leak, which saw students rallying for justice. BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya disclosed that Pradhan had offered to resign on the first day of the protests, indicating his commitment to the cause.12
"From the very first day of the movement, he told the party chief, 'If you feel that I should resign, I would.' The party chief refused. But when circumstances became such that the party decided he should resign, he did so in a split second," Vijayvargiya stated.
The protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, highlighted the grievances of over 20 lakh candidates who had to retake the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) after a scandal that disrupted their preparations. The agitation united students across various backgrounds, challenging the political status quo in India.
Pradhan's resignation was framed as a move to thwart "anti-national forces" from exploiting the protests, with Vijayvargiya asserting that it foiled the designs of foreign entities aiming to destabilize India. The protests, marked by their resilience against police repression and internet shutdowns, demonstrated a new wave of political mobilization among youth, transcending traditional caste and religious divides.
The government's inability to suppress the protests forced it to negotiate, marking a significant moment in India's political landscape, where the youth's demands for justice and accountability could no longer be ignored.
“Kailash Vijayvargiya claimed Pradhan's resignation foiled designs of foreign forces seeking to destabilize India via violence, similar to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The resignation came amid youth protests, with the event described as 'youth at the vanguard' in coverage.”
