New Delhi, July 25, 2026: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation on Saturday afternoon, ending weeks of speculation and mounting street pressure that had built up around the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. He shared the news himself, posting his resignation letter on social media and confirming that he had sent it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It marks the first time a minister in the Modi government has stepped down in the face of sustained public agitation, a detail several political observers were quick to point out through the day.
In his letter, Pradhan struck a reflective and, at times, emotional tone. He wrote that he had always believed in the strength of India’s democracy and held deep respect for the ambitions of the country’s youth, whom he described as the architects of a new and developed India, not merely its future. He said the events of the past ten days had troubled him personally, though he insisted the decision was not about protecting his own standing.
Referring directly to the unrest at Jantar Mantar and the wider protests across the country, Pradhan said he did not want anti-national elements to exploit the situation, and that preserving national unity mattered more to him than holding on to his post. He added that he did not want even a single student’s future to get tangled up in legal complications, and that he wanted children to be able to devote their energy to their studies and careers instead.
He thanked the Prime Minister for his guidance and continued support through his tenure, and expressed gratitude to his cabinet colleagues and officials at the ministry. Invoking the blessings of Lord Jagannath, he said he would remain committed to serving Odisha and the aspirations of the country’s youth in whatever capacity he could going forward.
A second, more detailed note addressed to what he called his young companions traced his four-decade-long association with students, teachers and education reform. In it, he laid out the government’s version of how the NEET-UG crisis had unfolded through the year, from the discovery of irregularities in the examination held on May 3 to the decision to hand the investigation to the CBI, cancel the test, and announce a fresh date. He noted that the government had also decided to shift the exam to a computer-based format starting the following year.
Pradhan wrote that the priority throughout had been to ensure the re-examination went smoothly for more than twenty lakh candidates, describing it as a “whole of government” effort involving the states and, in particular, district administrations, with the retest eventually completed on June 21 with cooperation from students and parents.
He said he had taken responsibility from day one and never turned away from the situation, and that results declared on July 16 had been satisfactory, with several meritorious students from underprivileged backgrounds among those who succeeded. He also expressed unhappiness that, even after this, people in positions of responsibility had allegedly tried to mislead students.
The build-up
The pressure on Pradhan had been building since early June, when the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, started by digital strategist Abhijeet Dipke, began organising sit-ins at Jantar Mantar demanding his resignation over the NEET-UG paper leak and irregularities in CBSE’s on-screen marking process.
The movement, which styled itself as satirical in origin, gradually drew in established student groups such as the Students Federation of India, the All India Students Association and the All India Students Federation, along with opposition parties.
The protests gained further momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike at the site in late June. Matters escalated sharply after July 20, when a protest at the venue was met with a heavy-handed response from the Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force, an episode that appeared to shift public sentiment further against the government’s handling of the issue. In the days that followed, the Cockroach Janta Party made clear in its talks with government representatives that Pradhan’s resignation was non-negotiable, warning of a bigger, nationwide stir if he did not step down.
In fact, all this came at the heels of another letter allegedly written by Pradhan that went viral on social media but was later declared a fake by fact checkers. The latest resignation letter on Saturday posted directly by the minister through his verified social media handle is the real one.
As of Saturday evening, there was no official word from the Prime Minister’s Office on whether the resignation had been accepted, and no announcement had been made regarding a successor at the education ministry.
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