Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has reacted to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. “Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is a huge step towards reshaping our education system. Well done to students across the country; we are proud of all of you.”, Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday (25 July). “Heartiest congratulations to every young person, every student who took to the streets and stood firm to protect democracy, the Constitution, and their future.” The Congress MP added. The Amethi MP, being a a touchstone, reminded, “2 demands still remain – the Prime Minister should apologize while respecting the students and India’s future, and action should be taken against those guilty of violence against students.”
Quick answers to key questions
Dharmendra Pradhan resigned to address student protests over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and to prevent the situation from being exploited by ‘anti-national forces.’
Rahul Gandhi hailed the resignation as a significant step towards reforming the education system, expressing pride in the students for standing firm in defense of democracy and their future. Students demand an apology from the Prime Minister for the government’s actions against them and accountability for police brutality during protests, alongside broader reforms in the education system. The Congress party celebrated the resignation as a victory for the youth of India, claiming it demonstrated the power of student activism and their push for accountability in the education sector.
Rahul Gandhi emphasized that while Pradhan’s resignation is a victory, the broader fight for justice and reform for students continues, noting that the Prime Minister’s apology and action against police responsible for violence are still needed. “For other sections of society—farmers, laborers, the poor, every person whom this government has suppressed and crushed—true courage lies in standing firm in a constitutional manner for one’s dignity.
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The time has come to remove this government.” Rahul Gandhi posted on X (formerly Twitter)
Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation on Saturday (25 July), saying he had submitted it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the interest of students and to ensure that the ongoing protests over examination irregularities were not exploited by “anti-national forces.”
The resignation follows weeks of nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, with students demanding greater transparency, accountability, and reforms in the examination system. Congress Calls Resignation “Victory for the Youth,” Demands PM’s Apology The Indian National Congress moved swiftly to claim the moment as vindication of its own campaign, describing the resignation as a defining win for the country’s younger generation. In a post on its official X account, the party wrote, “Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is a victory for the youth, a victory for India’s Gen Z. This victory belongs to those millions of young people who raised their voices across the country to fix the education system. In the face of the youth’s truth, Narendra Modi’s arrogance has been shattered, and his lies have been defeated.”
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The party credited Gandhi with keeping the paper leak issue alive since it first surfaced, tracing his advocacy from public demonstrations through to Parliament. “The youth have forced an incompetent and corrupt Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, to resign.
From the very first day of the NEET paper leak, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party have been fighting, from the streets to Parliament, to deliver justice to the youth. This fight will continue, until the education system is reformed,” the party said.
Congress also renewed its demand for an apology over the police response to demonstrators at Jantar Mantar on 20 July. “Narendra Modi will have to apologise for ordering lathis to be used on our youth and for the attacks with pellet guns,” the post read. Youth Congress Calls It “First Victory” but Warns Fight Is Not Over The party’s youth wing, the Indian Youth Congress, echoed the sentiment that Pradhan’s exit marked only an opening success rather than a conclusion. IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib credited sustained student pressure and Gandhi’s continued advocacy for the outcome. “This is the first victory of the country’s youth and students’ struggle. Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is the power of the youth’s voice,” Chib said.
He was, however, unambiguous that the movement’s broader objectives remained unmet. “Pradhan’s resignation is a handful of dust in the eyes. Until the prime minister apologises to the country’s youth, Amit Shah resigns for ordering the lathi charge on students, and action is taken against the responsible police officers, this Gen Z movement will not be victorious,” Chib said. Pradhan’s Resignation Follows Weeks of Nationwide Protest Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation on Saturday, saying he had submitted it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the interest of students and to prevent ongoing protests over examination irregularities from being exploited by what he termed “anti-national forces.”
The move follows weeks of nationwide demonstrations over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, with students demanding greater transparency, accountability and root and branch reform of the examination system. About the Author Sayantani Biswas
Sayantani Biswas is an assistant editor at Livemint with seven years of experience covering geopolitics, foreign policy, international relations and global power dynamics. She reports on Indian and international politics, including elections worldwide, and specialises in historically grounded analysis of contemporary conflicts and state decisions.
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She joined Mint in 2021, after covering politics at publications including The Telegraph. She holds an MPhil in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University (2019), with a specialisation in postcolonial Latin American literature. Her research examined economic nationalism through Eduardo Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America. She also writes on political language, cultural memory and the long shadows of conflict. Biswas grew up in Durgapur, an industrial town in West Bengal shaped by migration, which drew families from across India to the Durgapur Steel Plant. As the only child in a joint family, she spent years listening—almost obsessively—to her grandparents’ testimonies of struggle, fear and loss as they fled Bangladesh during the Partition of 1947. This formative exposure to lived historical memory later converged with her training in Comparative Literature, equipping her to analyse socio-economic structures and their reverberations.
Outside the newsroom, she gravitates towards cultural history and critical theory, returning often to texts such as Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. As a journalist, she is committed to accuracy, intellectual rigour and fairness, and believes political reporting demands not only clarity and speed, but historical depth, contextual precision, and a disciplined resistance to spectacle. Stay updated with the latest Trending, India, World and US news. Follow CJP Protest LIVE updates as Sonam Wangchuk ends his 26-day hunger strike following government assurances, while the Jantar Mantar protest continues. Get the latest updates on talks between the CJP delegation and the Centre, the demand for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, possible arrests, Delhi security measures and developments in Parliament. Home News IndiaTime has come to remove this govt: Rahul Gandhi harks ‘don’t be afraid!’ as Dharmendra Pradhan resigns
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