Pradhan resigns as education minister after NEET protests

The Story in Brief

Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union education minister following weeks of student protests over a NEET paper leak that affected millions of young candidates. The resignation came after the government initially refused to entertain the demand, but protesters at Jantar Mantar persisted. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called the move a “rude wake-up call” for the ruling party, which has rarely allowed a minister to quit due to public pressure. Tharoor urged political leaders to listen to the concerns of young voters, who will form the largest voting bloc by 2029.

The resignation has revived debate on ministerial accountability. An opinion piece in The Hindu cited the example of Lal Bahadur Shastri, who resigned as railway minister after a train accident, and argued that a political head must accept responsibility for systemic failures under their charge, even without personal culpability. The government has not commented on whether the resignation sets a precedent.