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Abhijeet Dipke reacts as Dharmendra Pradhan resigns amid CJP stir: 'Just the beginning'
Abhijeet Dipke received a phone call about the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan after which celebrations erupted.
Celebrations erupted on the Jantar Mantar when the news of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation reached the protest site on Saturday, with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) chief Abhijeet Dipke looking visibly relieved.
Dipke, who has led the protest demanding Pradhan’s resignation and wider education reforms following the alleged paper leaks, received a phone call about the resignation.
“We have done it. Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned," Dipke told the crowd.
“This is a big win. It shows that the country is run by the constitution. This is just the beginning,” he later said.
Massive celebrations were seen at the protest site. CJP leadership congratulated the protestors, while spokesperson Saurav Das said that until they receive a written confirmation, they will remain at the protest site.
Police officials at the outer barricades of the protest site seemed quite relaxed. Taking down names and social media accounts of people at the entrance had stopped, and checks had also been reduced.
What Dharmendra Pradhan said while resigning
In a Hindi letter addressed to the country's youth and posted on X, Dharmendra Pradhan said he was taking moral responsibility for developments surrounding the medical entrance examination while defending the government's handling of the crisis.
“From the very first day, I accepted responsibility and never turned away from this situation,” Pradhan wrote. He said that once irregularities were detected in the NEET-UG examination conducted on May 3, 2026, the Narendra Modi government immediately transferred the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), cancelled the examination, and announced and held a fresh test. The former minister said the re-examination held on June 21 was conducted successfully through a “whole-of-government approach”, involving the Centre, state governments and district administrations.
At the same time, he alleged that “individuals occupying responsible positions” had attempted to mislead students during the controversy, saying those efforts had caused him “deep anguish”.
He did not identify any individuals or organisations, though he has attacked the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, in the past few days.
Pradhan said the events of the past 10 days had saddened him but stressed that the issue was “not a matter of personal prestige”.
Instead, he said his decision was guided by the need to protect students and preserve national unity.
“Considering the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and across the country, and to ensure that anti-national forces do not take advantage of it, that the country's unity remains intact, that not a single student's future gets entangled in legal complications, and that our children devote their time to studies and building their careers, I have submitted my resignation to the Hon'ble Prime Minister,” he wrote. He said the youth should not be allowed to fall into “the trap of misinformation and confusion”.
