Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had offered to resign on the very first day of the student agitation over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, but the BJP leadership asked him to continue until a decision was taken, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya claimed on Saturday.
Speaking to PTI in Indore, the Madhya Pradesh minister said Pradhan informed BJP president J.P. Nadda that he was prepared to step down if the party felt it was necessary. According to Vijayvargiya, the party chief advised Pradhan against resigning immediately and asked him not to discuss the matter further until the leadership reached a final decision.
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The remarks came hours after Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister, taking moral responsibility for the NEET paper leak controversy that sparked a 36-day nationwide agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The protests, centred at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, drew lakhs of students and supporters demanding accountability and sweeping reforms in the examination system.
Vijayvargiya claimed Pradhan resigned promptly once the BJP leadership decided it was appropriate. He also praised the former minister, saying Pradhan discharged every responsibility entrusted to him with honesty and dedication throughout his tenure.The BJP leader further alleged that Pradhan’s resignation had frustrated attempts by “foreign forces” to destabilise India by fuelling unrest similar to that witnessed in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He congratulated Pradhan for taking what he described as a responsible step to protect the country’s interests.Following Pradhan’s resignation, senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi was given additional charge of the Ministry of Education while retaining his existing portfolios of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy. Joshi said he accepted the responsibility with humility and pledged to continue implementing reforms while strengthening India’s education system under the Prime Minister’s guidance.
