As BJP and NDA MPs greeted him to Parliament on Monday, Dharmendra Pradhan got out of the car, grinned, folded his hands in namaste, and started walking amid applause and “Dharmendra Pradhan zindabad” chants. Following a month-long student protest over the NEET paper leak, the Odisha MP resigned as Education Minister over the weekend.
The MPs threw their weight behind the Odisha leader, and there were scenes of celebration as they surrounded him. One MP even placed a traditional headgear on the former minister’s head and a shawl across his shoulders.
The government MPs welcoming Pradhan have been ignored by the Congress. “They did the same thing with Bilkis Bano’s rapists. Renuka Chowdhury, a Rajya Sabha MP for the Congress, stated, “It is their habit.”
Citing “good behavior,” the Gujarat government in 2022 permitted the early release of eleven convicts found guilty of raping Bilkis Bano and murdering her entire family during the 2002 Gujarat riots. Images of family welcoming the prisoners with candies and charan-sparsh and patting their feet for blessings outside the Godhra jail soon after they were released from custody caused indignation.
Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Education Minister on Saturday marked the culmination of weeks of demonstrations over exam irregularities and other issues impacting young Indians.
Exam paper leaks sparked student protests, which were led by the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
After starting at the Jantar Mantar protest site in the heart of New Delhi, the demonstrations grew more intense and started to spread throughout the nation.
Pradhan said, “I have sent my resignation letter to the Prime Minister,” in a statement that was shared on X. The resignation was made just before the highly anticipated third round of negotiations between the CJP and government representatives.
“Seeing what has happened over the last ten days hurts me. In his Hindi letter, he stated, “This is not a matter of personal prestige for me.” “The true strength of India is its young. I’m determined that we won’t allow the nation’s children to become mired in a confusing cycle.”
Following Pradhan’s departure, the CJP declared that they were calling off the protests since all of their requests had been satisfied in a new round of negotiations. Following the revelation of the NEET paper leak in mid-May, the government initiated an inquiry, postponed the results, and mandated a retake in June, compelling candidates to resume rigorous test preparation.
Regarding the exam applicants’ deaths, the government has remained silent. According to the CJP, 21 students committed themselves in situations it suspects were connected to the exam scandal.
In a video statement on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his anguish over the paper leaks and pledged to take severe measures against those guilty, including putting them on trial in fast-track tribunals.
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