Prolonged deliberations within the government on the social and security ramifications of allowing student protests over paper leaks to continue and the potential negative electoral impact it may have on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is already gearing up for the next round of state elections, may have forced Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign on Saturday, people familiar with the details said.
Another major reason was the fear of alienating a large demographic — the youth, specifically Generation Z — who are not limited by “geographical, religious and caste divides,” as one BJP person told HT.
The protests over irregularities in the conduct of the National Entrance Eligibility Test and other examinations were led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which was born out of online ridicule in May and began a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in June. The group – which had the support of students across India – had three main demands, with Pradhan’s resignation being the primary one.
As negotiations between the CJP and the government reached an impasse over the issue of the minister’s resignation, Pradhan offered to step down, taking “moral responsibility”, the people cited above said.
His party colleagues, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the protests had escalated into a major challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is in power at the center and in 22 states and two union territories with its allies.
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“Since 2014, the BJP has been known to weather the storms because not all issues, especially political ones, are worth resigning. The government firmly believes in fixing responsibility and making reparations. Pradhan did just that by holding re-examination and the authorities moved quickly to file charges against the accused…but this protest has been misused by vested interests and political opponents who want to derail the government and its agenda,” a senior legislator said.
“The government, starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made efforts to alleviate students’ concerns, but it has become clear that there is no winning against the youth when the opposition and vested interests played a role in supporting the protests,” this person said.
A group of ministers resigned in 2021, paving the way for a cabinet reshuffle, and in 2018, then Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar resigned after being named in India’s version of the Me Too movement.
Read also | ‘Not a matter of personal prestige’: Dharmendra Pradhan resigns over paper leaks
In the current situation, the government weighed its options, but the hardline stance of the demonstrators in the streets and the opposition in Parliament did not provide any room for negotiations.
The opposition parties have not relented in their demand for Pradhan’s resignation, failing which they will not allow Parliament to do its work and block the government’s attempt to pass the bill giving more strength to the law against the use of unfair means in public and competitive examinations.
People familiar with the details said that input from the security services hastened the action. Another person said: “By the middle of this week, the government had obtained reliable information about the violence and social unrest planned for the weekend, triggering a plan to defuse the situation. You can call it a tactical retreat… but the reality is that the government cannot allow bloodshed.”
Modi on Thursday assured students of speedy justice, followed by a video message the next day in which he pointed out planned amendments to an existing law to tighten punishments and sentences for violations in the conduct of public examinations. However, there was no let up in the protests.
The security agencies’ inputs were supported by feedback from the party’s ideological wellspring, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “The Sangh stressed that the protest cannot be taken lightly; they urged the government to deal with them (the protesters) and stressed the need for systemic reforms. “The Sangh has over time pushed for reforms in the education sector, from the curriculum to the day-to-day functioning of the ministry,” a Sangh functionary said.
On Friday, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat spoke about the generational shift and said India has moved from an “age of obedience” to young people demanding answers based on “logic and reason”.
Without mentioning the AKP or the protests, he said institutions and families should answer their questions, provide guidance and allocate time instead of trying to impose rules and orders.
Another compelling reason for the government’s retreat was the fear that the student movement would have a greater impact on the ground.
“No party can afford to alienate the youth. This country has a history of youth carrying movements like the JB Movement Against Emergency and the India Against Corruption Movement (against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance) on their shoulders… With elections also approaching in sensitive states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, the opposition has found a platform to target the government for neglecting the youth,” a third party official said.
