India’s Education Minister Resigns Amid Protests Over Exam Leak

India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned amid protests over a leaked exam paper, a move seen as a major victory for the opposition.

Pradhan submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing the need to maintain the country’s unity and ensure that students’ futures are not affected by the controversy.

Protests and Demands

The opposition party, Jantantrik Janata Party (JJP), had been protesting in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar area for over a month, demanding Pradhan’s resignation over the leaked National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper.

The party’s founder, Abhijit Deepak, said, ‘We have shown that if you don’t bow down to this government, you can make anyone resign. We will not back down until our other demands are met.’

The party is also demanding compensation for the families of students who committed suicide due to the exam leak and action against the police officials involved in the controversy.

Government’s Response

The government had been facing pressure from various opposition parties, including the Congress, which had been demanding Pradhan’s resignation.

On Saturday, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticized Prime Minister Modi, saying that he had failed to take action against the exam leak despite taking strict measures against protesters.

Gandhi tweeted, ‘Metro closed. Roads closed. Shops closed. Internet closed. Food closed. But one thing you couldn’t close, Modi ji – the exam leak.’

RSS Chief’s Comments

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had earlier commented that the government should engage in dialogue with protesters rather than using force.

Bhagwat said, ‘We cannot dictate to others and become their masters. We need to engage in dialogue and explain the reasoning behind our actions.’

Pradhan’s resignation came four hours after Bhagwat’s comments.