Days after stepping down as Union Education Minister, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said attempts were made to "mislead" members of Gen Z during protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, which saw students demand accountability and his resignation.
Pradhan resigned from the post on July 25, 2026, amid student protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and demands for accountability.
Pradhan said he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his permission to acknowledge the aspirations of the younger generation rather than allow their grievances to be exploited for political purposes.
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Pradhan Breaks Silence On Resignation
Dharmendra Pradhan broke his silence on his resignation while addressing students and teachers at GM University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
“I have been a victim of Gen Z. For some time, the way this whole episode unfolded, I felt some people tried to mislead the children of the new generation,” Pradhan was quoted by the Hindustan Times as saying.
Pradhan said he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked him to allow him to acknowledge the aspirations and concerns of the younger generation.
“I met the Prime Minister and requested him to agree to the desire of Gen Z. I told him to allow me to acknowledge this in front of the children. I never staked my personal honour in the matter,” he said.
“The Prime Minister accepted this, and later he himself spoke about it in front of the children,” Pradhan said, according to Hindustan Times.
“Gen Z is our children. Some people attempted to mislead them. I had no personal issues then,” he was quoted by the Press Trust of India (PTI) as saying.
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Pradhan also said the younger generation has aspirations that could shape India's future.
“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,” he said.
Pradhan said he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered to resign from the Union Council of Ministers, according to PTI.
His remarks came amid renewed political and public attention around the student protests and the government's engagement with younger voters.
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