As Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday after nationwide protests demanding his resignation in connection with the NEET-UG paper leak, the Opposition celebrated the moment as a victory of the youth, while insisting that they will wait for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s apology and “accountability from those who perpetrated atrocities” on the students.
While Congress MPs said it was a “moment to celebrate”, the party’s senior leadership said it was going to wait and watch the government’s next move.
In a post on X, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said that Pradhan’s resignation “is a huge step towards reshaping our education system”. He went on to add that the two other demands remain: the Prime Minister should apologise while respecting the students and India’s future, and action should be taken against those guilty of violence against students.
“Well done to students across the country; we are proud of all of you. Heartiest congratulations to every young person, every student who took to the streets and stood firm to protect democracy, the Constitution, and their future,” said Gandhi.
“For other sections of society—farmers, labourers, the poor, every person whom this government has suppressed and crushed—true courage lies in standing firm in a constitutional manner for one’s dignity. The time has come to remove this government. Don’t be afraid,” wrote Gandhi.
This is not the end: Jairam Ramesh
Speaking to The Indian Express, Gaurav Gogoi, Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha, said: “First of all, let us send a message of solidarity and support to the young people across India… It is time to reflect, rejoice, and also remember students who died by suicide and were injured in police brutality. We are getting concerning reports of police brutality in Delhi and in India today. The Prime Minister and Home Minister are speaking in different voices. Our second demand is regarding the violence on Monday. They have to be taken to task. We stand in sync with the students,” said Gogoi.
Pradhan’s resignation came a day after the Union Cabinet approved a draft anti-paper leak Bill with provisions for a jail term up to 10 years, penalty up to Rs 10 crore, statutory backing for fast-track courts, and a five-month timeline for investigation and trial of cases.
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“The Bill and discussion are linked to the third demand of ours—reform of the education system. But why are we seeing barricades? Home Minister Amit Shah is still intimidating students,” Gogoi added.
Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is a victory for the youth and a triumph for India’s Gen Z.
This win belongs to the crores of young people across the country who raised their voices to demand a better education system.
Narendra Modi’s arrogance has been shattered and his lies…
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 25, 2026
In a long post on X, Congress communication-in-charge and MP Jairam Ramesh said that “incompetent, callous, and arrogant Mantri Pradhan has finally been compelled to resign”.
“…This is not the end. We still await the Prime Minister’s apology to our students. And we still demand accountability from those who perpetrated atrocities on them, including the use of pellet guns,” said Ramesh.
Other Congress MPs told The Indian Express that a decision regarding parliamentary proceedings and the Opposition’s strategy will be taken after building consensus among the allies. “We will wait and watch how things develop over the next few days, how the police act and whether the government says anything on our and the students’ demand for an apology from the PM and the accountability from those who executed and ordered action against students on Monday. We will speak to our allies and decide what has to be done,” said a senior Congress MP.
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Forced to bend to people’s will: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that the youth of India have started to take our country back from those who tried to suppress their voice. “Today is the day an undemocratic and oppressive government was forced to bend to the will of the people of India. To all you boys and girls who stand unflinchingly for what is right, don’t ever let your spirit be oppressed. You are the soul of our beautiful nation; stay strong and brave always,” said Vadra, speaking to reporters in Kalpetta in Kerala.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the voice of students finally “reached the threshold of arrogant power.”
“India’s ‘Students’ Echo’ has finally reached the threshold of the arrogant power. This is the victory of our millions of youth who raised their voices on the streets across the country to fix the education system. This is the victory of truth and the defeat of Mr. Modi’s stubbornness,” he said in a statement on X.
The Rajya Sabha leader of Opposition further said, “This is the victory of all those families who lost their blood, their children, because this government is corrupt. This is the victory of the united opposition, who raised their voices from Parliament to the streets in the interest of the students. Now it is Mr. Modi’s turn to apologize to our young generation and to take strict action against those who unleashed lathis, batons, and pellet guns on them.”
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Modi forced to listen: Sagarika Ghose
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, while speaking to reporters, said the government must realise that it needs to think very seriously about exams and education. “The lesson to be learnt from this movement is that no exam paper should ever be leaked. The young generation and the youth created such slogans and posters that emerged without any explicit support or allegiance to any political party, yet every single youth connected with them. The BJP, which claims to be the largest party in the world, was forced to bow down. This is a major victory for the youth,” he said.
TMC Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Sagarika Ghose said, “When arrogance and an unaccountable Narendra Modi regime met the youth power and a united Opposition, guess who won? Modi, who loves hearing only the sound of his own voice, has been forced by India’s youth to listen to the voice of the people,” she said.
Congratulations to the entire country on Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Big win for democracy. pic.twitter.com/whzjhwSjOs
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 25, 2026
Big win for democracy: Kejriwal
Moments after Pradhan resigned, Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal called it a “big win for democracy.” In a video message posted on X, Kejriwal lauded the students for the continued efforts during the protest, and congratulated all those who participated in the demonstration. “Big congratulations to the youths and Gen Z, your efforts have led to Dharmendra Pradhan resigning from his post. After such a big agitation, the government’s arrogance was broken by the voice of the people. This is a big win for democracy,” the former Delhi chief minister said.