The Modi government at the Centre has yielded to the demands of the youth in the country. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has finally resigned from his post. It is known that the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has been staging protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over the past few days, demanding that Dharmendra Pradhan resign, taking responsibility for the NEET paper leak issue. As signs emerged that this could turn into a nationwide movement, the Central government stepped in. Until now, the Modi government had maintained that it would discuss anything except resignation, but it has now backed down on this issue. It is unlikely that a Union Minister would resign without the directions of Prime Minister Modi. Hence, it clearly appears that Pradhan took this decision as per the directions of the Prime Minister.
Notably, this is the first time in the past twelve years of the NDA government that a Union Minister has stepped down due to failures in their department. It can be said that what the major opposition parties in the country could not achieve has been accomplished by the youth-led Cockroach Janata Party. However, during this movement, Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, also succeeded politically by using this struggle as an opportunity. While another round of talks between Central government representatives and CJP leaders was scheduled for Saturday afternoon, Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation ahead of the meeting has gained significance.
The Union Minister posted his resignation letter on X, stating that this is not about his personal reputation and that the youth are the real strength of the country. He said the developments over the past ten days had deeply pained him. Following his resignation, the CJP responded saying that this is what democracy looks like. Youth at Jantar Mantar expressed jubilation after the announcement of the minister’s resignation. Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation can certainly be seen as the first victory of the CJP.