Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned
The minister took the step after mounting pressure due to protests.
Deepender Hooda said, ''it is the first major victory of the struggle of millions of youth and students of the country''
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who had been coming under intense pressure from nationwide protests lead by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The CJP would consider this as a big, and almost ultimate, victory as the resignation of the education minister was one of the demands that the government and the protesters were in a deadlock over.
The Monsoon Session of the Parliament was also logjammed due to opposition protests in both houses which left it paralysed.
After an initial meeting yesterday between the CJP spokespersons and the government, another meeting was scheduled to take place at around 3:30 PM today.
Dharmendra Pradhan expressed concern over Anti-national elements hijacking the protests and stated it as one of his key reasons for stepping down.
''Considering that anti-national forces should not take advantage of the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and across the nation, that the unity of the country remains intact, that no student's future in India gets entangled in legal complexities, and that our children devote their time to studying and focusing on building their careers—with these thoughts in mind, I have submitted my resignation to the Honorable Prime Minister," he said in his letter.
Building Up Pressure
The government had been coming under immense pressure due to the ongoing protests which had paralysed the national capital. Multiple Metro Stations remained closed for four days causing difficulties to regular people.
The protests had also turned violent in parts of the country with a statewide band was called in Bihar.
The government took multiple steps to persuade the protestors including late night messages by the Prime Minister which announced the creation of Fast Track courts as well as an amendment to strengthen the Public Examinations Act.
The CJP had also called for a nationwide candle march for tomorrow further amping up the already high pressure.
Reacting to the news, Jantar Mantar broke out in celebration. “Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned. This is the proof that if you don’t get scared, if you don’t bow down in front of this government, you can take anyone’s resignation. Don’t be scared in democracy,” Abhijeet Dipke said according to PTI.
Opposition Reaction
Congress MP from Rohtak, Deepender Hooda, reacting to the news called it "the first major victory of the struggle.''
He also said that the government which had been ignoring the voice of the youth had to eventually bow down.
"This is not just the resignation of a minister; it is the first major victory of the struggle of millions of youth and students of the country. The government, which was ignoring the voice of the youth, had to bow down today. The fight is not over yet; we will not stop until reforms and justice are achieved throughout the system,'' he said on X.
The last part of his statement will be viewed with great interest as it suggests that the opposition might not relent even after Pradhan's resignation and continue the agitation over implementation of the reforms.
