CPI(M)’s M A Baby called Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation a ‘historic victory’ for students, stating public pressure from CJP and Sonam Wangchuk led to his exit after the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and nationwide protests.
‘Historic victory for students’: CPI(M) on Pradhan’s resignation
Terming the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan a “historic victory” for agitating students, CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Saturday stated that the youth ultimately compelled the now former Union Minister to yield to public pressure after trying to avoid accountability for months.
Speaking to the reporters, Baby recounted the trajectory of events leading to Pradhan’s resignation, saying that the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) along with activist Sonam Wangchuk demanded compensation to the bereaved families of students who died by suicide after the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The other demands included withdrawl of cases against the protesting students. He noted that after continuous struggle and efforts, Pradhan was compelled to put in his resignation papers.
“This is a demand that Narendra Modi has been trying to avoid all along. Student organisations and the newly formed CJP leader, my friend Abhijit Dipke, Sonam Wanchuk; all of them have been in the struggle front demanding compensation to the families of those students who were compelled to commit suicide as a result of the corruption and anarchy in relation to the entrance examination,” the CPM MP said. Saying that the government was employing “delaying tactics”, the CPI(M) leader said that it was a compulsion of Pradhan to resign after so much pressure. “Then revamping of the entrance examination. Withdrawal of cases against the agitating students and people. Then finally and most importantly, the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister for Education. Now, after a lot of delaying tactics, Dharmendra Pradhan has been compelled to put in his papers. It is a historic victory of students and those who have been at the forefront of the struggle,” he added.
Pradhan steps down to prevent protest exploitation
Meanwhile, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar commended Pradhan’s decision to step down, emphasising the need to send a positive signal to the nation’s youth. “We all must keep in mind the importance of the youth, so that no wrong message goes out there. If Dharmendra Pradhan has taken this decision, then I appreciate it,” he said.
Pradhan submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he wanted to ensure that the protests over examination irregularities were not exploited by “anti-national forces.”
The resignation came after weeks of nationwide protests over alleged examination irregularities and a 26-day hunger strike led by Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar. The agitation was spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which has been demanding accountability over alleged paper leaks. On July 20, the group organised a ‘Sansad Chalo’ march from Jantar Mantar to the Parliament, during which instances of laathi charge and tear gas shelling were reported to disperse the huge crowd gathered in central Delhi. (ANI)
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