(CNN) — India’s education minister said Saturday he had resigned, in a major victory for young protesters whose spiraling demonstrations have presented a rare and growing challenge to the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Protesters have been calling for accountability after allegations entrance exams to esteemed medical schools had been leaked and sold, with the unrest led by a youth campaign known as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation on Saturday, bowing to mounting pressure after tens of thousands of students and supporters took to the streets demanding his removal and sweeping reforms to India’s examination system. Modi has not yet publicly accepted his resignation.
In the wake of his resignation, the CJP announced it would end its nationwide protests “with immediate effect,” because the government had agreed to its demands.
These demands included compensation for the families of students who, according to Indian media reports, took their own lives after learning their exam results would be scrapped.
According to the CJP, the government has also agreed to review the party’s five-point exam reform plan, and will meet with members of the movement to discuss this.
Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the CJP, hailed Pradhan’s resignation in a statement following the announcement, while adding that there was still more to be done.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin, a close aide to Modi, said Pradhan’s decision to step down “reflects the highest standards of integrity and selfless service in public life.” He added that the party “stands firmly” with him in his decision.
Demonstrators have clashed this week with police officers, whose tactics have further fueled youth anger and drawn wider support for the protest movement.
Pradhan’s resignation is a rare defeat for the government. Modi, a third-term leader, tends not to be swayed by protest movements. Critics have long accused his government of cracking down on dissent and opposition in the world’s largest democracy.
For weeks, demonstrators have camped in the heart of New Delhi demanding accountability over allegations that entrance examinations for India’s prestigious and fiercely competitive medical schools were leaked and sold, forcing millions of students to retake the tests.
The movement has been spearheaded by the CJP, a youth-led campaign that began as an online joke but has evolved into a political force channeling the frustrations of millions of young Indians.
Rallying cry for a generation
Founded by Boston University graduate Dipke, the CJP emerged in May after comments by India’s chief justice were widely interpreted as comparing unemployed young people to cockroaches. The remarks struck a nerve in a country grappling with persistently high youth unemployment and quickly became a rallying cry for a generation that says it feels ignored by those in power.
What began as a meme soon transformed into a nationwide protest movement, uniting students and young job seekers around demands for accountability, opportunity, and systemic reform.
Demonstrators are calling for an overhaul of an examination system long plagued by controversy, one they say places immense pressure on students and imposes financial burdens on families who invest heavily in their children’s futures.
They’ve also been placing a spotlight on India’s crippling youth unemployment.
India has one of the youngest populations in the world, with more than 360 million people between the ages of 15 and 29, according to a recent report by Azim Premji University in Bengaluru.
Yet, nearly 40% of graduates aged 25 and under are unemployed, and about 20% of 20-29-year-olds are without a job, said the report, which identified the transition from education to unemployment as a “major challenge.”
Tensions escalated after protesters marching toward Parliament were met with a police crackdown earlier in the week, with officers using batons and tear gas to disperse crowds.
Many of those protesting hail from middle-class families that have previously voted for Modi’s ruling BJP party but feel increasingly angry over a perceived lack of opportunities in modern India.
While Modi won a third term in 2024, his party’s majority was reduced and his government had to rely on allies for the first time in parliament.
After weeks of not mentioning or recognizing the protests, Modi issued his first public response on Thursday to demonstrations.
“Numerous effective measures have been taken over the past two and a half months since the paper leak incident,” he said. “Those responsible have been arrested and are now in jail. Our main responsibility has been to make sure that the students’ academic year is not wasted.”
Earlier in the week, he also issued a vague warning on X. “Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.”
The-CNN-Wire
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