Big breaking: Dharmendra Pradhan resigns as Education Minister amid students protest over NEET irregularities
PTC News: Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation as Union Education Minister on Saturday, saying the decision was driven by the need to protect the future of students and prevent "anti-national forces" from exploiting the massive youth protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
He announced the move on his X handle just hours before the third round of talks between the Cockroach Janta Party and the Centre.
Pradhan's resignation was the main demand of the protesters camping at Delhi's Jantar Mantar for over a month.
The talks between the CJP and the Centre were deadlocked over the demand for Pradhan's resignation. On Saturday morning, the CJP had made it clear that there can be no discussions if government refuses to sack Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to the sources, Pradhan resigned on moral grounds taking responsibility also suggesting that the government was on keen on giving him a dignified exit.
Pradhan, who had come under flak over a spate of exam paper leaks, made it clear at the outset that stepping down was "not a matter of personal prestige". The NEET-UG paper leak in May seemingly became the final nail in the coffin for Pradhan.
"The developments of the past ten days have saddened me deeply. This is not a matter of personal prestige for me," he said. In the next sentence, he stressed, "India's youth are the country's real strength."
"From the very first day, I took responsibility for the matter (NEET leak) and never turned away from this situation. My resolve was that we would not allow the examination mafia to destroy the prospects of any meritorious student," he said.
- PTC NEWS
