From NEET paper leak protest to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation…, how the CJP movement shook the government

Amidst the pressure of the Cockroach Janata Party movement, Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the post of Education Minister on Saturday (25 July 2026). His resignation has redefined the definition of movement in Indian politics. Till now in India, movements were made successful by mobilizing crowds at the grassroots level for months through rallies, pamphlets and speeches. Whereas in this movement, the way the issue of paper leak was raised on social media, people from all over the country started joining it and its AP center was Jantar Mantar. After the government accepted other demands of the organization, CJP announced to end its 36-day long agitation.

Prahlad Joshi appointed education minister

Union Minister Prahlad Joshi has been appointed Education Minister after the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday. Joshi has been given the charge of Education Ministry in addition to his Consumer Affairs Ministry. In a release issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan, it has been said that on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the President has accepted Pradhan’s resignation with immediate effect.

On getting additional charge of the Education Ministry, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said, ‘I will fulfill this responsibility. I am thankful to the Prime Minister. Many historic achievements have been achieved in the last 12 years of PM Modi’s government. In the last four-five years, Dharmendra Pradhan also implemented the new education policy and many important works were done. The country has made a lot of progress in the new education system. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, I will work to the best of my ability and fulfill my responsibilities with full dedication.

Dharmendra Pradhan resigned

This entire development is being seen as a major victory for the youth-led movement, which had united lakhs of people over the exam irregularities and NEET paper leak controversy. Announcing his resignation in the afternoon, Dharmendra Pradhan said that he is deeply saddened by the events of the last 10 days and this issue is not a matter of personal prestige for him. He said, ‘Anti-national forces should not take advantage of the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and in the country, the unity of the country should be maintained, the future of even a single student of India should not get entangled in legal complications, our children should spend their time in studies and focus on building their career, keeping this in mind, I have sent my resignation letter to the Prime Minister.’

President Draupadi Murmu Accepted Pradhan’s resignation from the Union Council of Ministers in the night. Announcing the end of their protests at all places across the country with immediate effect, CJP spokesperson Saurav Ghosh said that apart from Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, the government has also agreed to give respectable compensation to the families of the candidates who allegedly committed suicide over the NEET controversy and to withdraw the FIRs registered against the protesters in all BJP-ruled states.

Government agreed after 36 days of protests

CJP held a meeting with representatives of the central government at the Constitution Club after the announcement of Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation from the post of Education Minister on July 25 afternoon. This was the third round of talks between CJP and the government. In this, the central government was represented by JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, while apart from Saurav Das, the CJP delegation included Ashutosh Ranka. Ranka said, ‘Since the government has accepted all our demands after 36 days of protests, we appeal to everyone to peacefully leave the protest site and return home.’

Saurav Das said that he has shared a draft of the demands of the organization with the government, on which written guarantee will be given by Tuesday (28 July 2026). JP Nadda said that CJP representatives had brought a written draft to the meeting, in which they had put forward some points related to the cases registered during the movement. He said the CJP has also raised other demands (in the draft), which include no retaliatory action, compensation and consideration of the organisation’s five-point charter. Nadda said, ‘We discussed these issues in detail. After discussion, the first decision taken was that no action would be taken and no FIR would be registered. If any FIR has already been registered with Delhi Police or in BJP ruled states, it will be withdrawn.

Wave of happiness at Jantar Mantar

After the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, there was a wave of happiness at Jantar Mantar and slogans of ‘We have won’ started echoing at the protest site. As the celebrations continued, officials began monitoring the process of breaking up the protest and urged the protesters to disperse peacefully, while the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) reopened all entry and exit gates at nearby stations to ease the movement of people.

Dharmendra Pradhan is the second Union Minister to resign after a public controversy during the tenure of Prime Minister Modi. Before him, MJ Akbar had resigned from the post of Minister of State for External Affairs in 2018 when he was accused of sexual harassment during the MeToo movement. Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is one of the few occasions since 2014 when the Modi government has dragged its feet amid public opposition or political pressure. In 2015, the Modi government had to postpone its plan to amend the Land Acquisition Act to ease land acquisition for infrastructure and industrial projects, while in 2021 it had to announce the withdrawal of three agricultural laws.

Rahul alleged that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah “Directly responsible” for the violence against students. He also accused Shah of allowing the use of lethal weapons and pellet guns against the protesters. However, BJP defended Pradhan. Party President Nitin Naveen said that his decision reflects the highest standards of honesty and selfless service.

A bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday (27 July 2026) with the aim of amending the two-year-old anti-paper leak law. In this bill, it has been proposed to establish fast track courts in every state for immediate trial of the accused and to make the punishment more stringent. In this, persons found guilty of paper leak or using unfair means can face imprisonment of minimum five years and maximum 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh. For organized crimes, the bill proposes a minimum punishment of 7 years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore.

How did the CJP movement gain momentum?

The students’ protest started on June 20 at Jantar Mantar under the leadership of CJP demanding improvement in the examination system, fixing accountability in the NEET question paper leak case and resignation of Pradhan from the post of Union Education Minister. Gradually it became one of the most important movements led by Gen-Z. The CJP-led movement gained national momentum after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk came out in support of the students on June 28 and began a fast with six AISA activists at Jantar Mantar.

The anger of students and youth increased further after Delhi Police removed Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar on July 18 and took him to Safdarjung Hospital. Wangchuk ended his fast after 26 days on Thursday (July 23) after receiving assurance from the Center that the demands of the protesters would be met. The first official meeting between the central government and the CJP leadership was held on July 20 at JP Nadda’s residence. On the same day, thousands of protesters started marching towards Parliament on the organisation’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ call, but the police pushed them back using lathi charge and tear gas.

Many people were injured during this period. The second round of talks between the two sides was held on Friday, when the Center accepted CJP’s demand to hold the meeting at a neutral venue instead of a minister’s residence or office.