Dharmendra Pradhan says Gen Z was misled, forced his exit

The Story in Brief

Former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan broke his silence on August 9, saying some people misled Gen Z during protests over the NEET paper leak, prompting his resignation. Speaking in Sambalpur, he said he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek permission to acknowledge the youth's aspirations rather than see them exploited. Modi later addressed the issue himself, Pradhan said.

Pradhan resigned on July 25 after weeks of student protests. He said the ministerial post was not a prestige issue. BJD's Rohit Pujari countered that police lathi-charge and tear gas at Jantar Mantar defamed Pradhan, not critics, and claimed 21 students died by suicide over the controversy.