Opposition Hails Pradhan's Resignation as Student Protest Victory

Opposition parties on Saturday termed the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, following widespread student protests over the NEET paper leak, a victory for the youth and a step toward rebuilding the country's education system.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi urged other groups to show courage like the students and stand up against the government. 'It is time to remove the government,' he said.

Gandhi described the resignation as a 'symbolic but big step' toward rebuilding the education system. He also said it signals to other communities, including farmers, labourers, and the poor, who he said are being oppressed by the government. 'There is wisdom and courage in standing up. Don't be afraid. Let's get rid of this regime that is attacking India, destroying our Constitution and capturing all our institutions,' he said in a video message and later to media.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said this was the day when the people started 'claiming their country back'. 'The youth did not bend; the government had to bend. It is a victory for the youth and students of India. I was truly happy when I heard the news. I even got a bit emotional. This is the day when the people of our country have started claiming the country back. They have done it in the way Mahatma Gandhi had taught us,' she said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described the resignation as a defeat of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'stubbornness'. He added that the PM should apologise and take strict action against all those who used force against the agitating students.

Congress General Secretary K. C. Venugopal said the Opposition had been spearheading the protest in a united fashion, while party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Opposition had demonstrated 'rock-solid unity and solidarity' with the students.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the resignation was a major victory for the new generation. 'The government had to bow down,' he said. He also called for serious reforms in the education sector, from primary schooling to higher education.

Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal said the resignation was a 'big win for democracy'.

Left parties welcomed the resignation and demanded comprehensive education reform. CPI General Secretary D. Raja said it was a rare moment of democratic accountability, achieved through sustained struggle of students and youth. CPI(M) congratulated the students and demanded scrapping of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and rollback of the National Education Policy (NEP). CPI(M) General Secretary M. A. Baby said, 'This is only the first step. Now the NTA has to be disbanded, and the anti-student, commercial and communal NEP 2020 has to be rolled back.'

Deepankar Bhattacharya of the CPI(ML) said the resignation was 'the only sensible thing' Pradhan had done.