Dharmendra Pradhan's Resignation Sparks Political Fallout Across Three States

The resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has set off a political chain reaction in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Punjab, with opposition parties demanding similar accountability from state education ministers.

Before accepting Pradhan's resignation, the Centre had offered to shift him to another ministry while appointing a new Education Minister, in an attempt to defuse the nationwide protests over the NEET exam controversy. However, the party leading the protests rejected the compromise, insisting that only Pradhan's resignation would satisfy the agitators. The offer was conveyed during talks by Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh, even as the Centre agreed to other demands, including compensation for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide and withdrawal of most FIRs against protesters. As negotiations continued and public pressure mounted, the government ultimately accepted Pradhan's resignation, ending a 36-day protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.

The political fallout has now spread beyond the Centre. In Odisha, the BJD and Congress have renewed calls for School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond to resign over textbook errors. In Chhattisgarh, the Congress has sought the resignation of School Education Minister Ramvichar Netam over alleged failures in the education sector. Drawing parallels with the NEET controversy, opposition parties argue that the same standards of ministerial accountability should apply at the state level. The BJP, however, has rejected the comparison, saying the issues are unrelated and accusing its rivals of using Pradhan's exit to score political points.

In Punjab, the opposition is demanding the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains over alleged exam irregularities under the AAP government. The controversy intensified after former Delhi minister Manish Sisodia said the party would sack the state's education minister if a paper leak occurred, prompting rivals to highlight a string of alleged exam controversies. Bains has denied the allegations, while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Sisodia have defended the government, stating that the incidents involved cheating attempts rather than actual paper leaks.