3 min readBhubaneswarUpdated: Aug 9, 2026 03:40 PM IST
Former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who resigned following intense protests over the NEET paper leak issue, said his ministerial responsibilities were insignificant before the aspirations of the new generation of the country.
Addressing a gathering in his Parliamentary constituency, Sambalpur, on Saturday, Pradhan said he tried to explain the reality about the resolve of the new generation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who later engaged directly with the Gen Z.
“I belong to the land where legends like Bhimabhoi, Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das and Gangadhar Meher were born. My responsibility is nothing before the resolve of the new generation people. There is nothing more important than the country’s interest,” said Pradhan, his first public statement weeks after submitting his resignation.
Pradhan, who was a key figure in the Modi government ever since the NDA came to power in 2014, appreciated the new generation, saying their aspirations can’t be ignored.
‘Some tried to deceive the Gen Z’
“The Gen Z belongs to us …Some people tried to deceive the Gen Z. Around 20 crore (people of) new generation in the country have a great responsibility on their shoulders to make India the Viswaguru,” said Pradhan, adding the government is committed to fulfilling their aspirations.
Citing the sacrifices made by noted freedom fighters such as Veer Surendra Sai and others, the former minister said historically, it is the youth who led the change and offered sacrifices.
Pradhan, among the prominent figures of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Odisha, received a rousing reception on Saturday as he travelled from Bhubaneswar to his constituency by road.
BJP leaders in various Assembly constituencies in the state accorded a warm welcome to Pradhan on his journey to Sambalpur, proving his enduring dominance among the BJP cadres in Odisha.
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BJP sources said Pradhan would tour across Odisha in the days to come.
In the eye of a storm over the NEET-UG exam paper leak, which sparked widespread protests, Pradhan resigned as the education minister on July 25.
Pradhan’s resignation was the primary demand made by youth protesters at the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest site in Delhi as well as a precondition for the Congress and other Opposition parties for debating a tough new law against the issue scheduled to be tabled in Parliament.
Releasing an open letter announcing his resignation in a post on X, Pradhan had said he was “saddened by what unfolded over the last 10 days”, in reference to protests by students spreading to other cities after taking root a stone’s throw from Parliament at Jantar Mantar.