Dharmendra Pradhan
Resigned as Union Education Minister on July 26 after NEET-UG paper-leak protests turned violent. Had branded student protesters "B-team of terrorists" and defended the NTA amid 12 aspirant suicides and a second UGC-NET leak in his ministry.
Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister on July 26, ending a tenure consumed by the NEET-UG paper-leak scandal that swept up millions of students and pulled the entire Monsoon Session of Parliament into disorder. His departure followed a July 20 "Sansad Chalo" student march on Parliament that turned violent, with Rahul Gandhi alleging pellet guns were used on protesters and demanding accountability from Home Minister Amit Shah.
The crisis had been building since early June. Pradhan chaired a high-level review meeting on June 18 and personally monitored the NEET-UG re-exam from NTA headquarters on June 21, declaring "I have complete faith in the NTA" and urging students to "sit fearlessly and free of anxiety." But at least 12 NEET aspirants died by suicide amid the re-exam pressure, and a second leak hit his ministry when the June 2026 UGC-NET Sociology paper was allegedly sold before the exam across five states for ₹2.25 lakh.
Pradhan inflamed the situation on June 25 by branding Jantar Mantar student protesters "the B-team of terrorists," prompting Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge to demand his immediate resignation and apology. He accused Gandhi of misleading aspirants and holding an inappropriate pre-exam rally in Kota, while conceding that "protectors had turned into predators" among NTA-trusted teachers. His later appeal — "We owe our students more than outrage. We owe them answers, reforms and accountability" — was rejected by protesters and opposition as insufficient.
The Cockroach Janta Party, led by Abhijeet Dipke, maintained an indefinite sit-in at Jantar Mantar since June 20, with activist Sonam Wangchuk joining and threatening a hunger strike. Protests spread to Mumbai, where police booked roughly 400 people, and Delhi's LG invoked NSA detention powers. The scandal allegedly impacted 2.2 million students, and the INDIA bloc made Pradhan's removal one of three core demands to block the Monsoon Session agenda. His cabinet position had already been flagged as precarious in late June ahead of a planned Modi reshuffle.
On their plate
Pradhan resigned from the Union Cabinet on July 26 after a July 20 student march on Parliament turned violent. His departure capped weeks of pressure from opposition parties, street protests, and legislative paralysis, with the INDIA bloc making his removal a non-negotiable demand to block the Monsoon Session agenda.
Pradhan's ministry faced two separate paper-leak crises: the NEET-UG leak that triggered a high-security re-exam he personally monitored from NTA headquarters, and the UGC-NET Sociology paper allegedly sold before the exam across five states. He ordered an NTA probe on the UGC-NET leak but opposition dismissed accountability efforts as futile.
Pradhan and Rahul Gandhi traded direct accusations: Pradhan called Gandhi out for an inappropriate Kota rally and misleading students, while Gandhi demanded both Modi's and Pradhan's resignations, cited 152 paper leaks over a decade, was detained near the PM's residence, and launched a 40-day nationwide campaign to secure Pradhan's ouster. Kharge led Rajya Sabha adjournments forcing the resignation demand.
The Cockroach Janta Party led an indefinite Jantar Mantar sit-in from June 20 demanding Pradhan's resignation and ₹1 crore compensation for suicide victims' families. After Pradhan branded protesters a 'B-team of terrorists,' demonstrations escalated nationwide, prompting Delhi Metro station closures, NSA detention powers from the Delhi LG, and roughly 400 bookings in Mumbai. Celebrities and activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the cultural-political pressure.
Key relationships
Modi was planning a Union Council reshuffle in which Pradhan's position was flagged as precarious due to the NEET leak and CBSE controversies; Modi later established fast-track courts amid the protests.
Pradhan accused Gandhi of misleading NEET aspirants and holding an inappropriate Kota rally; Gandhi demanded Pradhan's resignation, was detained near the PM's residence, and launched a 40-day campaign to secure his ouster.
Dipke's Cockroach Janta Party led the indefinite Jantar Mantar sit-in demanding Pradhan's resignation; Pradhan dismissed the protesters as a 'B team of disruptive elements.'
Kharge led Rajya Sabha opposition demands for Pradhan's resignation, forcing multiple adjournments, and insisted 'Modi Minister Pradhan will have to resign.'
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