Explaining his move to resign from the position of Union Education Minister following protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over irregularities in NEET (UG) examination, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Dharmendra Pradhan has said attempts were made to 'mislead' the Gen Z that forced him to quit.
He made the remarks while speaking addressing students and teachers at the GM University in Odisha's Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
Pradhan, who is a Lok Sabha member from Sambalpur, said he had approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi and resign from the Union Council of Ministers, stressing that the position was not important to him and his focus remains making India a 'Vishwa Guru'.
"Gen Z is our children. Some people attempted to mislead them. I had no personal issues then. At least two crore children are born in India every year. During the last 10 years, 20 crore children were born. They have aspirations, and they will make India the 'Vishwa Guru'. The post was not important to me," Pradhan was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Pradhan resigned from his position on July 25, nearly a month following the protests by the CJP.
The CJP, lead by Abhijeet Dipke, were demanding Pradhan's resignation and seeking action over NEET (UG) paper leak. Earlier, reports claimed Pradhan won't resign from his position and has the backing of entire cabinet; however, he ultimately quit from his position after which Pralhad Joshi was made the interim education minister.
In his resignation letter, Pradhan said the issue had never been a "matter of personal prestige" for him, reiterating that his decision was guided by a sense of responsibility.
"I have always held unwavering faith in the strength of our democracy and have deeply respected the aspirations, dreams, and expectations of the youth. They are not merely India's future; they are the torchbearers, creators, and architects of a new and developed India. I am pained by the events of the past ten days. This is not a matter of personal prestige for me," he had stated.
The CJP later hailed Pradhan's resignation as its victory and ended its protests after the government agreed to withdraw cases against the agitators.
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