New Delhi/Mumbai: Opposition parties Saturday termed the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak issue as a victory of democracy and said that the Modi government had to “bow before the collective struggle” of the country’s youth. They also called for education reforms.
While Congress leaders tried to give credit to Rahul Gandhi for the climbdown by the government, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha congratulated the youth and students “who stood firm on the streets to protect democracy, the Constitution, and their future”.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to the youth and there should be “strict action against those who unleashed lathis and pellet guns” on the protesters.
He described Pradhan’s resignation as the “victory of truth” and said “Modi’s stubbornness” had been defeated.
“We are here to protect the students of India, to protect the future of India. As I said, this is a fight between the past, which is Narendra Modi and the RSS, and the future of India. And we are very confident that the future of India will defeat the past,” Gandhi said.
He said the “BJP-RSS regime cannot run the government as their personal fiefdom” and they would face 10 times the scale of this stir if they try to do so again.
Gandhi and other opposition leaders had backed the Cockroach Janta Party-led agitation demanding Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET paper leak issue and seeking education reforms, with many of them visiting the protest site at Jantar Mantar.
The CJP called off its agitation after 36 days as Pradhan stepped down and the government accepted their other demands on Saturday.
Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray said the youth have brought the country out of an “atmosphere of fear”.
“A cockroach has made a dictator bow,” the former Maharashtra chief minister said.
The cousins were addressing a joint press conference following Pradhan’s resignation.
NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar said he had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold talks with the CJP leaders and not use force against the young protesters.
“The struggle and determination shown by the youth over 28 consecutive days at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in the NEET paper leak case is truly commendable,” Pawar said in a statement.
“This fight, which was firmly against oppression without fear and forced the government to accept moral responsibility against injustice, is a symbol of the power of democracy. This is a major victory for the unity of the youth power in the country,” he said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav aid that despite being the “world’s largest party”, the BJP was forced to yield to a “revolution” by the youth.
He said the resignation came “very late” and “unnecessary tension” across the country could have been avoided if the government had initiated talks before.
The development has restored people’s faith in democracy by proving that governments must ultimately listen to people’s voice, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal said, expressing hope that the government would now reform the examination system, prevent future paper leaks and ensure that no child is ever again driven to die by suicide.
“Democracy is of the people, by the people and for the people. I hope the government will now fix the entire NEET system so that paper leaks come to an end in this country and our children never again have to take their own lives,” the AAP chief said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai credited the victory to “lakhs of hardworking students who stood their ground on the streets” as well as Rahul Gandhi.
“Undoubtedly, this is our victory, a victory of our leader Rahul Gandhi, who strongly raised this matter at the national level. Unlike others who left the field, Rahul Gandhi remained firm and stood with the protesting students,” Rai told PTI videos.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati said the political sparring should not overshadow the need for comprehensive reforms in the education system.
In a post on X, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the protesters’ demands for the resignation of Pradhan had become the centre of political confrontation, while the real issue of reforming the examination system should not be lost.
“Although the peaceful sit-in at Jantar Mantar has received widespread public sympathy, both the opposition and the government are engaged in intense politics over the protesters’ adamant demand for the resignation of the Union education minister. The real issue of necessary, comprehensive reforms in the education system should not disappear,” she said.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia said moral responsibility has finally been fixed and asserted that the time has come to hold the Bhagwant Mann government accountable for the paper leaks that had allegedly taken place in the state.
“After the Aam Aadmi Party formed the government in Punjab, several examinations, including the Naib Tehsildar recruitment, JE recruitment, PSTET, PSEB, PPSC, PSSSB, and recently the Baba Farid University Pharmacy Officer recruitment, had been surrounded by controversies,” he alleged.
Calling it a victory for students across the country, Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan said Rahul Gandhi and other opposition parties had stood firmly with the protesters throughout the agitation.
CPI(M) veteran and Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan said that Pradhan’s resignation is a hard-earned victory won by students who stood “firm in the face of repression”.
“The NTA must be fundamentally restructured, and the fight must continue against the National Education Policy, which centralises power and undermines the rights of states. India deserves an education system that is transparent, accountable, and rooted in federalism,” he said.
CPI leader Binoy Viswam described it as a “historic victory” that forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “bow before the collective struggle” of students and the people.
“If the Modi government first suffered defeat before the farmers’ movement, it has now been defeated by the united struggle of students and the people,” he said.
