According to Reuters, on July 26 local time, after several days of large-scale protests by students across the country, India's Education Minister Pradhan submitted his resignation. The protesters had previously demanded that he resign due to the leakage of test papers. Upon the news of Pradhan's resignation, the protesting crowd immediately cheered and celebrated.
At the protest site at Jantar Mantar Observatory in New Delhi, Dipak, the founder of the protest organization "Aga Khan Party," said with enthusiastic cheers from the crowd: "We succeeded!"
Protesters at the protest site shouted slogans like "India will win". The loudspeakers in the square played the national anthem, and candies were distributed among the crowd as a symbol of celebration. According to Reuters reports from the scene, at least 1,000 police were deployed to maintain security in the area.
"Cockroach People's Party" subsequently published a message on X platform celebrating and claiming: "The cockroaches won, democracy won! Long live India!"
The ‘ cockroach People’ Party stated that after Prada’s resignation, the organization also demanded that the Indian government compensate the families of all the student suicide victims with 10 million rupees. It also requested that no student involved in the protests be held accountable, and that there should be public apologies from the Indian Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the Delhi Police.
In May of this year, a serious scandal involving the leakage of test questions in the Indian National Medical Entrance Examination led to the invalidation of the scores of over 2 million candidates. A protest initiated by youth, known as the “ cockroach movement,” has continued since June until now.
On Monday, in an attempt to stop the protesters from advancing towards the parliament, the police used batons to clear the area and deployed tear gas, resulting in dozens of students being injured. This incident led to a full-blown outcry among the public. The protests also reflected the strong indignation of young people over the shortage of job opportunities, corruption issues, and the government’s lack of accountability in fulfilling its duties.
The report indicates that this street protest, which is one of the largest in India in recent years, has evolved into a major political trigger, posing a serious challenge to Indian Prime Minister Modi. Opposition politicians have actively supported the demands of the youth, calling for the government to take measures, and even causing disruptions in parliamentary proceedings.
On the 26th, Pradhan posted on the X platform explaining the reasons for his resignation: 'In view of the situation at Jyuthatam Mantak Observatory and in many other parts of the country, to prevent anti-national forces from taking advantage of the situation... I have submitted my resignation letter to the Prime Minister.'
"I sincerely respect the ideals, aspirations, and reasonable demands of young people in my homeland." Pladen wrote.
Just as Pradhan announced his resignation on the X platform, the New Delhi police used tear gas to disperse the youth protesters. A few hours later, the protest leader was originally scheduled to hold another round of negotiations with government ministers.
The 57-year-old Pradhan is a key figure in Modi's Indian People's Party. He was considered a rising star within the party and even saw him as a potential leader of the People's Party in the future.
Since Modi first took office in 2014, Pradhan has been part of the cabinet, serving in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the Ministry of Steel, and the Ministry of Skill Development. Since 2021, he has served as the Minister of Education. His father is a senior member of the Indian People's Party and served as the Federal Minister from 1998 to 2004.
