India's education minister resigns after youth protests

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday he had resigned from his position, handing a major victory to <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2016990">youth protesters</a> nationwide who demanded that he quit to take responsibility for <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2018272/betrayal-after-years-of-sacrifice-the-young-victims-of-indias-exam-leak-scandal">examination paper leaks</a>.</p> <p>The minister announced his resignation on X just as police fired tear gas to scatter young protesters in Delhi, hours before their leaders were set to hold <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2018062/indian-government-seeks-time-on-youth-protesters-minister-resignation-demand">another</a> round of talks with ministers to push for the move.</p> <p>In a two-page statement shared on X, Pradhan said he has sent his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</p> <p>“…To ensure that anti-national elements are not benefitted by the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country, that the nation remains united, students in India do not get tangled in legal complexities and focus on their studies and their career, I have tendered my resignation to the prime minister,” India’s <em>ANI</em> news agency quoted the letter as stating.</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/dpradhanbjp/status/2080938216505667663'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/dpradhanbjp/status/2080938216505667663"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>The self-named Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) youth movement, which has been at the helm of the protests, welcomed the resignation by stating on its X account, “Cockroaches won.. Democracy won!”</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/Cockroachisback/status/2080942793913139207'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/Cockroachisback/status/2080942793913139207"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>The <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2005616"><u>anti-government protests</u></a> represented the biggest youth challenge to Modi since he came to power in 2014. Opposition parties have echoed the movement’s demands and have disrupted ​the monsoon session of parliament that began this week.</p> <hr /> <p><em>More to follow</em></p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.