'Gen Z Was Misled': Dharmendra Pradhan Explains Why He Resigned, Says Ministerial Post Was Never Important

New Delhi: Former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has broken his silence on his resignation, saying he stepped down amid the NEET paper leak protests after attempts were allegedly made to “mislead” Gen Z.

Speaking at an event at in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, Pradhan said he had personally approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered to resign from the Union Council of Ministers. He said the ministerial position was never more important to him than the aspirations of the country’s youth.

“Gen Z is our children. Some people attempted to mislead them. I had no personal issues then,” Pradhan said, adding that India has a large young population with aspirations that would contribute to making the country a “Vishwa Guru”.

'The Post Was Never Important'

Pradhan said he took the decision to offer his resignation himself and emphasised that he did not view the ministerial post as personally significant.

He resigned as Education Minister on July 25, following weeks of student protests over the NEET paper leak controversy. The protests had intensified in Delhi, with student groups demanding accountability over the examination controversy.

Pradhan said his focus remained on the aspirations of young Indians, arguing that the country sees around two crore births every year and that the younger generation would play a crucial role in India's future.

Pradhan Takes Aim At Naveen Patnaik

During another meeting in Rairakhol, Pradhan also targeted former Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik over protests against him in the state.

Responding to “Dharmendra Pradhan Go Back” slogans raised by BJD youth and student-wing activists, Pradhan said he was not affected by the protests and asserted that he would return despite being asked to “go back”. He also accused Patnaik of involving young people in protests against him.

Pradhan said he had never done anything that would bring shame to Odisha and maintained that he would not undertake any work that could tarnish the state's reputation.

BJD Hits Back

The BJD rejected Pradhan's allegations and blamed the former minister and the BJP government for the criticism surrounding the NEET protests.

BJD Sambalpur district president and former minister Rohit Pujari said Pradhan was facing criticism over the government's handling of the student agitation. He alleged that police action, including lathi-charge and tear gas, had contributed to the backlash against the former minister.

Pujari also criticised Pradhan for blaming Naveen Patnaik for the protests, arguing that the controversy was rooted in the government's handling of the examination issue.

Meanwhile, police sources said around 30 BJD workers were detained in Sambalpur as a precautionary measure ahead of possible protests by the party's youth and student wings.

Pradhan's remarks come two weeks after his resignation, putting the focus back on the political fallout from the NEET controversy and the growing influence of Gen Z-led student protests.

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