BJP breaks silence after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over NEET row

The statement came just over an hour after Pradhan stepped down amid mounting nationwide protests over the alleged NEET paper leak and examination irregularities.

In a post on X, Nabin praised Pradhan's tenure as Education Minister, highlighting his role in implementing key reforms.

"As Union Education Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Ji played a pivotal role in reforming India's education landscape and successfully implementing the landmark National Education Policy (NEP 2020), among other initiatives," he wrote.

He added: "Prioritising larger interests, his decision to step down reflects the highest standards of integrity and selfless service in public life. The party stands firmly with Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Ji in this decision."

In a major political development, Pradhan tendered his resignation on Saturday following weeks of escalating protests over alleged paper leaks and irregularities in the NEET examinations.

The senior BJP leader announced his decision on social media platform X, confirming that he had submitted his resignation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The resignation marks a significant turning point in the month-long agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)—a student-led movement that originated as a satirical youth platform—along with several opposition parties. The development came just hours before the CJP was scheduled to begin a third round of talks with representatives of the Central government.

Earlier in the day, the CJP had declared that any further dialogue with the Centre would be meaningless unless Pradhan resigned, describing his removal as a non-negotiable precondition for continued negotiations.

Following the announcement, jubilant protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the epicentre of the demonstrations. Similar celebrations and protest marches were reported from several major cities, including Kolkata.

Reacting to the resignation, the CJP posted on X: "This is a victory for the students."

The nationwide agitation has seen thousands of students camp at Jantar Mantar for more than a month. While the Centre initially refrained from direct engagement, growing public pressure and expanding demonstrations across state capitals eventually prompted the government to open negotiations with CJP representatives in an effort to resolve the impasse.