Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns after 28 days of protests over NEET-UG paper leak. NCP President Sharad Pawar called it a victory for democracy and the collective power of the youth. The opposition and protesters are considering it a big success.
Opposition said victory of democracy and youth
New Delhi [भारत]July 25 (ANI): Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday said the youth of the country have forced the central government to accept “moral responsibility” over the NEET-UG paper leak. He described the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as a “triumph of democracy” and the collective strength of the youth.
In a post on Twitter, Pawar praised the students who protested for 28 days at Jantar Mantar in the national capital and said their determination forced the Center to respond to their demands. Pawar said, “The struggle and determination shown by the youth for 28 consecutive days at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in the NEET paper leak case is truly commendable. In response to the persistent demand of the protesters, the Union Education Minister has today finally resigned. This fight, which stood firm against oppression without fear and forced the government to accept moral responsibility against injustice, is a symbol of the strength of democracy. It is a major victory for the unity of youth power in the country,” Pawar said.
He also acknowledged the role played by opposition parties in supporting the protesters. The veteran leader said, “My heartfelt thanks to all the MPs of the opposition parties for the manner in which the key leaders of the opposition parties have provided moral and parliamentary support to the youth of the country. I certainly feel compelled to say that democracy has won in the country, and the credit for this undoubtedly goes to the young generation of the country.”
Supriya Sule demanded reforms
Expressing similar sentiments, his daughter and NCP (SP) working president and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule said the resignation came only after sustained public pressure from students, peaceful protesters and opposition parties. He stressed that this incident should be the beginning of deeper reforms rather than the end of the movement. In a post on
What did Dharmendra Pradhan say on his resignation?
Pradhan today resigned from the Union Cabinet and said he has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi so that the protests over exam irregularities are not taken advantage of by “anti-national forces”. The resignation comes after nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in the examination and a 26-day hunger strike led by Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar. The agitation was led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which is demanding accountability over the alleged paper leak.
Sonam Wangchuk expressed happiness
Welcoming the resignation, activist Sonam Wangchuk described Pradhan’s resignation as “a victory for democracy, peace and perseverance” and urged that the momentum generated by the student movement should now be channeled towards structural reforms in the education sector. In a post on Twitter, Wangchuk wrote, “This is a victory of democracy. Direct democracy… straight from the streets. This is a victory of peace, patience and perseverance. Congratulations to the CJP, the Gen Z of the country and thank you to all the citizens for rising up from every corner of the country shunning fear and intimidation. From accountability, now to reforms.”
CJP said- the protest will continue until the demands are met.
CJP further said that it will continue its protest at Jantar Mantar until all its demands are met. Addressing supporters, CJP leader Abhijit Dipke said, “It was said that there are no resignations in this government. The world bows, we need someone to bend. We did it,” calling it the first resignation by a Union minister under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Pictures from the protest site showed protesters celebrating after the minister’s resignation was announced. Dipke said the organization will continue its agitation until its remaining demands are met, which include compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of students who committed suicide over exam-related issues, an assurance of no action against student protesters, and action against Delhi Police personnel accused of using force against protesters.
In his resignation letter shared on Twitter, Pradhan said that the decision has been taken in the larger interest of the students and the country. He wrote, “The situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and other places in the country should not be taken advantage of by anti-national forces. The unity of the country should be maintained. The future of every student of India should not be entangled in legal complications.”
Pradhan said he has always respected the aspirations of India’s youth and defended the government’s stance in dealing with the NEET-UG paper leak. He said after irregularities came to light in the May 3 exam, the Center handed over the investigation to the CBI, canceled the exam and announced re-examination. He said that the re-examination was successfully conducted for more than twenty lakh candidates on June 21 with the cooperation of state governments, district administrations, students and parents.
Now NEET-UG exam will be held in CBT mode
He also announced that from next year, the NEET-UG exam will be conducted entirely in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode to improve transparency and strengthen the integrity of the examination process.
Government will bring strict anti-paper leak law
Meanwhile, the central government is preparing to bring in a strict anti-paper-leak law, which will include special fast-track courts, a special task force (STF) and other measures aimed at curbing exam malpractices across the country. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)