Top News

Dharmendra Pradhan Says He Resigned As Education Minister After NEET Protests, Accuses Attempts To Mislead Gen Z
24htopnews | August 9, 2026 3:08 PM CST

Former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said attempts were made to mislead Gen Z during protests over the NEET paper leak issue, leading him to offer his resignation on July 25. Speaking in Odisha, he defended his decision and faced criticism from the BJD over the government’s handling of student protests.

Bhubaneswar: Senior BJP leader and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said attempts were made to "mislead" Gen Z during the protests over the NEET paper leak issue, prompting him to quit as Union Education Minister.

Pradhan broke his silence on his resignation while addressing students and teachers at GM University here, exactly two weeks after he stepped down amid massive protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over the issue.

"Gen Z is our children. Some people attempted to mislead them. I had no personal issues then. At least two crore children are born in India every year. During the last 10 years, 20 crore children were born. They have aspirations, and they will make India the 'Vishwa Guru'. The post was not important to me," Pradhan said.

He said he had approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered to resign from the Union Council of Ministers.


READ NEXT
Cancel OK