Prahlad Joshi appointed as Education Minister as CJP protests trigger Pradhan's resignation

New Delhi: Hours after nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) resulted in Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi was appointed as Education Minister on Saturday evening.

Joshi, who currently serves as Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, will continue to hold his existing portfolio while also overseeing the Education Ministry.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué said President Droupadi Murmu, on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accepted Pradhan's resignation with immediate effect.

The communiqué added that the President had directed Joshi, a Cabinet Minister, to assume charge of the Ministry of Education in addition to his existing responsibilities.

The developments stem from the alleged NEET-UG question paper leak, which prompted the CJP to launch nationwide protests demanding Pradhan's resignation. The movement gathered momentum after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk began a hunger strike in support of the protesters. Student organisations and political parties later joined the agitation, while visuals from the demonstrations went viral on social media.

However, the protests turned violent on July 20, with clashes erupting between protesters and the police, leaving several people on both sides injured. Following the incident, several protesters were booked while others were detained.

The CJP later said its spokespersons, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, met BJP president J P Nadda and submitted a memorandum outlining the party's demands.

The party put forward three key demands: the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan; the withdrawal of all legal cases against protesters and organisers, along with an assurance that no fresh cases would be filed; and compensation of ₹1 crore each for the families of those who died by suicide following the alleged NEET-UG paper leak controversy.

On Saturday afternoon, Pradhan tendered his resignation, saying the decision was taken to ensure that anti-national elements did not exploit the situation. "To ensure that anti-national elements are not benefited by the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country, that the nation remains united, students in India do not get tangled in legal complexities and focus on their studies and their career, I have tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister," his resignation letter said.

The resignation paved the way for talks between CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka and Union Ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh. Following the meeting, the two sides reached a consensus, with the Centre agreeing to all three demands put forward by the CJP, according to Das and Ranka.

With its conditions met, the CJP formally withdrew its agitation, saying the decision was based on the government's acceptance of its demands. "Cockroach Janata Party declares that we withdraw the agitation in good faith, with the understanding that the agreed-upon terms will be executed within the agreed-upon timelines," Das said.

The party also urged protesters to end the agitation immediately and return home peacefully, adding that it would announce its future course of action on other issues at a later date.