Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday assigned Union Minister Pralhad Joshi additional charge of the education ministry after President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, who stepped down amid sustained student protests over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.
An official statement said Murmu, acting on the advice of the prime minister, accepted Pradhan’s resignation and directed that Joshi, who already heads the ministries of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New and Renewable Energy, take charge of the education ministry in addition to his existing portfolios.
Pradhan said his decision was aimed at protecting students’ interests and preventing what he described as “anti-national forces” from exploiting the youth-led protests that have gathered momentum at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in recent weeks.
His resignation came hours before the third round of talks between the federal government and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a student-led protest group demanding reforms in India’s examination system.
The protests, initially focused on alleged examination irregularities, had made Pradhan’s resignation a key demand, with CJP leaders repeatedly describing it as non-negotiable.
Pradhan’s departure marks a rare instance of a senior minister in Prime Minister Modi’s government resigning amid sustained street protests and mounting political pressure.
Following Joshi’s appointment, CJP Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das said the movement would continue if students’ concerns remained unaddressed.
“The youth have warned whoever becomes the Union Education Minister that if their issues are not addressed, they will come back to Jantar Mantar and demand accountability from the government,” Das said.
The government has not announced a timeline for appointing a full-time education minister.
