Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday tendered his resignation amid protests over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak controversy, saying he stepped down to ensure that students' futures were not affected and the situation at Jantar Mantar was not exploited by "anti-national forces".
In his resignation letter, Pradhan said he had always remained committed to students, teachers and education reforms, while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his guidance and support.
"The unity of the country must remain intact, no student of India should get entangled in legal complications, and our children should focus on their studies and building their careers. Keeping this in mind, I have submitted my resignation to the Honourable Prime Minister."
He said that as soon as the irregularities regarding the NEET-UG examination came to light, the government, taking immediate cognisance of the matter, handed the investigation over to the CBI, cancelled the exam, and announced a date for a re-examination. Additionally, he said that a decision was made to conduct this exam in CBT (Computer-Based Test) mode starting next year.
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"Throughout this period, our primary priority was to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination for over 20 lakh students. We worked towards this using a 'whole-of-government' approach, in which state governments -- and particularly district administrations -- played a crucial role alongside the Government of India. With the cooperation of students and parents, the examination was successfully concluded on June 21, 2026," Pradhan said.
