‘Youth power real strength of India’: Read Dharmendra Pradhan’s full ‘resignation letter’ on X

In a major victory for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), students, and the country's protesting youth in general, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from his post on Saturday (July 25), citing the fallout from the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy.

In a post on X, Pradhan shared his resignation letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the decision was not about "individual prestige" but stemmed from a deep concern for the country's students, coming amid ongoing Cockroach Janta Party-led protests at Jantar Mantar demanding accountability over the exam irregularities. Here is his letter in full:

My Young Friends,

I have been dedicated to students, teachers, and educational reforms for more than 4 decades. It has always been my belief that an empowered, inclusive, and forward-looking education system is the very foundation of an empowered nation.

I deeply respect the aspirations, emotions, and justified expectations of the nation's youth. Realizing the dreams of India's young generation remains the moral resolve of our political and social lives. I express my gratitude to the Honourable Prime Minister for the opportunity given to me to serve the nation under his visionary leadership.

However, irregularities were found in the NEET-UG examination held on May 3, 2026. Taking immediate note of this, the Government of India handed over the investigation to the CBI, cancelled the exam, and announced a fresh date for the re-examination. Along with this, a decision was taken to conduct this examination in CBT (Computer-based-test) mode from next year.

During this period, our main priority was to conduct the examination smoothly for more than 20 lakh students. Work was done under a "whole of government approach" for this purpose. In this, the state governments, and especially the district administrations, played a crucial role alongside the Government of India. Additionally, with the cooperation of students, guardians, and parents, this examination was successfully completed on June 21, 2026.

From day one, I took responsibility for this and never turned my back on the situation. It was my resolve that we would not allow the potential of any meritorious student to be ruined due to the exam mafia, and no injustice would be done to any student.

The results of NEET-UG declared on July 16 were satisfactory, in which many meritorious students coming from poor backgrounds also achieved success.

However, even during this time, people sitting in responsible positions tried to create obstacles to mislead many students, which deeply pained my heart.

I have always been a person with unwavering faith in the strength of our democracy and have deeply respected the aspirations, dreams, and expectations of the youth. They are not just the future of India, but are also the carriers, creators, and architects of a new and developed India.

Looking at the sequence of events over the last 10 days, my heart is deeply pained. This is not a matter of my personal prestige.

The youth power of India is the real strength of this country. We will not let the youth power of the country get trapped in a vicious cycle of confusion, this is my resolve.

Anti-national forces should not take advantage of the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and across the country; the unity of the country must remain intact; the future of even a single student of the country should not get entangled in legal complexities; our children should spend their time studying and focus on building their careers—considering all these aspects, I have sent my resignation letter to the Honourable Prime Minister.

I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Honourable Prime Minister for his guidance, trust, and continuous support. Along with this, I also express my gratitude to all my respected colleagues in the Council of Ministers, officials and employees of the ministry, and all those individuals with whom I had the good fortune to work. Serving the nation is the highest priority of my life. I will always remain dedicated to it.

With the blessings of Lord Shri Jagannath Ji, I will continue to dedicate myself in every possible way in the future as well to fulfil the aspirations of Mother India, the people of Odisha, and the youth of the country.

Yours,

Dharmendra Pradhan

Pradhan's exit marks a significant move for the protest that has kept up pressure at Jantar Mantar in recent weeks, including activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike in solidarity with the CJP's demands.