3 min readUpdated: Aug 9, 2026 08:45 AM IST
In his first reaction two weeks after quitting as Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan weighed in on his resignation even as he said attempts were made to “mislead” Gen Z during the protests over the NEET paper leak issue.
Pradhan resigned as Education Minister on July 25 after weeks of protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar.
“Gen Z is our children. Some people attempted to mislead them. I had no personal issues then. At least two crore children are born in India every year. During the last 10 years, 20 crore children were born. They have aspirations, and they will make India the ‘Vishwa Guru’. The post was not important to me,” Pradhan told a gathering at an event at GM University in Bhubaneswar, according to PTI.
This was his first public reaction, precisely 15 days after the resignation. He was seen in the Parliament last month during the ongoing Monsoon Session, where NDA MPs welcomed him with slogans.
Speaking on his resignation, the Sambalpur MP said he had approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered to resign from the Union Council of Ministers.
Sources told The Indian Express earlier that Pradhan’s resignation was not in the government’s mind 48 hours before the resignation was announced. However, the intensifying protests, the Parliament disruption, and the government’s action not cutting ice with the protesters prompted the action.
The government had also proposed to change Pradhan’s portfolio as a compromise solution, however, the protesters were adamant that the education minister should quit.
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At a separate event, Pradhan also hit out at former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, saying he was not disturbed by the protests from the BJP workers. He was referring to a protest by BJD youth and student wing activists near the airport, where they raised “Dharmendra Pradhan Go Back” slogans.
“I am a farmer’s son. Even if you tell me to go back, I will come back. Naveen Babu also calls me a disgrace to the people of Odisha and a bad person,” Pradhan reportedly said.
“Have I ever done anything that will shame the people of Odisha?” he asked the gathering, receiving a loud “no” from the gathering.
“I may not be bringing laurels for the state, but I have never disgraced the people by my work. I will never do any work which will tarnish the state’s reputation,” he added.