From Wangchuk to Kejriwal, leaders celebrate Pradhan's resignation

As celebrations over Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation swept social media, politicians, public figures and prominent voices from the protest movement joined in, hailing the development as a victory for democracy.

Pradhan resigned on Saturday amid nationwide student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak. His resignation came just ahead of the scheduled third round of talks between CJP representatives and Union ministers later in the afternoon.

Social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who observed a 21-day hunger strike in support of the student protesters, described the resignation as a victory for democracy. 

"Direct democracy... straight from the streets. It's a victory of peace, patience & perseverance. Congratulations CJP, Gen Z of the nation and thank you all citizens for shedding fear and the fear of fear and rising up from every corner of the nation," Wangchuk wrote in a post on X.

Chief Minister V D Satheesan also took to social media to celebrate what he described as the success of the protests. "They came, they fought, and they won. Gen Z has shown the way. Democracy stands stronger and constitutional values have prevailed," he wrote on X.

Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi also hailed the movement, saying the country's youth had reclaimed their future and describing the day as historic. "Today is the 25th of July, 2026, and we should all remember this date as a historic date in the history of our nation. Because it is the date that the youth of our country, the students of our country, have started to take their country back into their own hands," she told reporters.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby welcomed the resignation but said it should be followed by the abolition of NTA-conducted examinations and the rollback of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. 

"Congratulations to India's students and youth on this major victory! Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation is only the first step. Now the NTA exams have to be disbanded and the anti-student, commercial and communal NEP 2020 has to be rolled back as well," he wrote on Facebook.

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal echoed the sentiment, calling the resignation a major victory for democracy. "Congratulations to all of you. Congratulations to the youth of our country. It is a matter of great joy that your struggle has borne fruit. Dharmendra Pradhan ultimately had to resign. This is a great victory for our democracy. People in our country had begun to lose faith in democracy. They felt that governments do not listen. People would raise their voices before the government and plead with folded hands, but the government never listened," Kejriwal wrote on X.

However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reminded the public that two of the protesters' demands remain unmet. He also called for the removal of the government. "The time has come to remove this government," he wrote in a post on X.

Gandhi also appealed to other sections of society, including farmers, labourers, the poor and everyone he said had been "suppressed and crushed" by the government, urging them to stand up for their dignity through constitutional means.