Dharmendra Pradhan breaks silence, tells why he resigned as Education Minister
Former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has publicly commented on the matter for the first time, two weeks after resigning from his post.
He stated that during the protests surrounding the NEET paper leak issue, "some people tried to mislead Gen Z."
Dharmendra Pradhan had resigned as Union Education Minister on July 25. Prior to this, students and youth had staged protests for several weeks at Jantar Mantar under the banner of the 'Cockroach Janata Party' (CJP).
Speaking at an event at GM University in Sambalpur, Odisha—his home state—Dharmendra Pradhan said, "Gen Z are our children. Some people tried to 'confuse' them."
Pradhan added, "I had no personal vested interest at the time. At least 2 crore children are born in India every year; 20 crore children have been born in the last decade. They have dreams, and they are the ones who will make India a 'Vishwa Guru' (global leader). The ministerial post was not important to me."
Pradhan claimed that he had personally met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered to resign from the Union Council of Ministers.
However, opposition leaders targeted Pradhan in response to his claim, asserting that he resigned due to the pressure exerted by the Gen Z protests.
It is worth noting that while the Gen Z movement was ongoing, there was media speculation that Pradhan's portfolio would be changed during a cabinet reshuffle, yet the protesters remained adamant in their demand for his resignation.
Later, at another event, Pradhan said, "Gen Z is our own. Some people tried to deceive them. The ministerial post was not a matter of prestige for me. My responsibility pales in comparison to the resolve of the new generation."
"I tried to explain the reality of the new generation's resolve to the Prime Minister. Nothing is greater than the national interest, and we are committed to fulfilling the aspirations of the youth."