Home minister backs Pradhan after resignation

India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned after nationwide youth-led protests over alleged irregularities in major exams.

Demonstrators organised by the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party  (CJP) demanded education reforms, compensation for affected students and the withdrawal of cases against protesters.

After renewed talks, the government accepted the group’s demands, prompting CJP to end the demonstrations. The protests have been one of the most significant challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration since the 2021 farm protests.

India’s Home Minister Amit Shah defended fellow party leader Dharmendra Pradhan in a social media post hours after he resigned as India’s education minister, giving in to nationwide youth led protests. 

“For BJP workers, the country, our youth, and students are far more important than any position. Today, the resignation of Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan ji from his post exemplifies this very principle,” Shah said on X. 

“The Modi government respects the sentiments of the country’s youth and is committed to implementing the necessary reforms against paper leaks,” he said adding that the government’s upcoming legislature to strengthen anti-paper leak laws would help ensure “complete justice.”

Shah went on to count Pradhan’s “reforms” as education minister. “His efforts toward making the examination system more inclusive and student-centric have also been noteworthy. His tenure is a testament to his dedication to the resolve of making India a developed nation,” he said. 

Shah’s post was one among many from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leaders which highlighted similar intiatives and Pradhan’s “integrity.”

In his resignation announcement on Saturday, Pradhan said he had acknowledged responsibility of the medical entrance exam’s paper leak from the very first day.

He said was now resigning because he did not want “anti-national forces” to take advantage of the situations and wanted the youth to once again focus on their education and careers.

Hello and welcome to DW’s India blog!

This is Mahima Kapoor, reporting from a cloudy New Delhi where the slowness of the Sunday is both welcome and needed after a week of fiery protests ending in a key resignation. 

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan gave up his post on Saturday afternoon under pressure from India’s Cockroach movement and youth-led protesters over national exam paper leaks. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has defended Pradhan’s efforts and integrity towards his work and the nation.

The government was also quick to install a veteran and low-profile leader Prahlad Joshi in Pradhan’s place. 

With their core demands met, the Cockroach Janta Party leaders and youth “cockroaches” have vacated the protest site in central Delhi which was cleaned and sanitized overnight. 

Most people have one question on their minds — What’s next? Be it for India’s education system, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke or India’s Generation Z which is enjoying mass popularity among masses right now.

Stay tuned!