Pradhan resigns as education minister
It was not a matter of individual prestige for him Wanted to prevent anti-national forces from exploiting the situation at Jantar Mantar. —Dharmendra Pradhan
After a month-long massive student agitation in Delhi seeking his resignation over exam irregularities and NEET paper leaks, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday resigned. Pradhan handed over his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi while President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation late in the evening.
The announcement comes amid escalating protests across the country calling for the minister to step down. He announced the move on his social media handle just hours before the third round of talks between the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the Centre.
Pradhan, who was also one in the list of the troubleshooters for his party BJP, is the second Union Minister in the Modi Government since it came to power in 2014, when a sitting minister quit in face of public outcry and demand. The first was MJ Akbar, who stepped down as Minister of State for External Affairs in 2018 after sexual harassment allegations surfaced against him during the #MeToo movement.
In his two-page resignation letter addressed to the country’s youth, Pradhan said that he made the decision to resign to ensure that “anti-national” forces do not exploit the decision and to ensure that the “national unity” remains intact.
Pradhan said he is disturbed to see the series of events that have unfolded in the last 10 days and sent his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I took responsibility of NEET paper leak from day one,” he said.
He also said that anti-national forces should not be allowed to take advantage of the situation at Jantar Mantar and across country. His resignation shows that he has resigned taking moral responsibility on his own and was not sacked. It also suggests that the Government was keen on giving him a dignified exit.
“I have been dedicated to students, teachers, and education reform for more than four decades. I have always believed that a strong, inclusive, and visionary education system is the very foundation of a strong nation. I deeply respect the aspirations, emotions, and just expectations of the country’s youth. Realising the dreams of India’s young generation has been a moral commitment of all of us in political and social life. I express my gratitude to the Hon’ble Prime Minister for the opportunity he gave me to serve the nation under his visionary leadership,” Pradhan said.
Pradhan said that the Government took immediate cognisance when irregularities in the NEET-UG examination came to light. “However, irregularities came to light in the NEET-UG examination held on 3 May 2026. The Government of India took immediate cognisance of this, handed over the investigation to the CBI, cancelled the examination, and announced a new date for the re-examination. Alongside this, it was decided that from next year the examination would be conducted in CBT (Computer-Based Test) mode,” he added. In his letter, Pradhan also accused “certain individuals” of misleading students.
“However, during this time too, certain individuals occupying positions of responsibility tried to mislead students and create obstruction, which caused me deep anguish. I have always been an unwavering believer in the strength of our democracy, and I have always held deep respect for the aspirations, dreams, and expectations of the youth. They are not only India’s future, but also the bearers, builders, and architects of a new and developed India,” he added.
Pralhad Joshi to be new education minister
Indian President Droupadi Murmu said in a press communique that she had directed Pralhad Joshi, a Cabinet minister, to be assigned the charge of the education ministry on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
I accepted the responsibility with a sense of duty and humility