Revanth Reddy Credits Youth Protest for Pradhan’s Resignation, Claims Victory Over Modi Government

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Telangana’s chief minister Revanth Reddy couldn’t hide his admiration for the energy that surged from college campuses to the nation’s capital. He said the wave of protests by students and other young citizens was what finally forced Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to hand in his resignation.

“The youth took to the streets, then to Parliament, and they made the government feel the sting of defeat,” Reddy told ANI, adding that the episode showed how quickly a united front can bring even a senior minister down.

He also leveled sharp criticism at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of trying to silence opposition voices through agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, the Income‑Tax Department and the CBI. “Whenever the youth or farmers rise up, any government has to accept defeat,” he said, implying that Modi’s tactics of splitting opposition parties in places such as West Bengal, Delhi and Maharashtra had back‑fired.

The resignation came after weeks of agitation over the NEET‑UG paper leak, which students claimed exposed deep‑seated irregularities in the examination system. Protesters demanded transparency, accountability and a revamp of the whole testing framework. In a brief statement, Pradhan said he was stepping down “in the interest of the students” to prevent the controversy from being hijacked by “anti‑national forces.”

On the government’s side, Union Minister JP Nadda said the administration had taken note of the demands raised by the newly formed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). He promised to review the party’s five‑point charter on examination reforms and assured that no punitive action would be taken against demonstrators. The CJP, in turn, announced the withdrawal of its 37‑day sit‑in at Jantar Mantar, citing the “good‑faith assurances” it had received.

Reddy used the moment to push for broader reforms, insisting that both the education and examination systems need a thorough debate in both houses of Parliament. “If anyone makes a mistake, the penalty must be strict because the future of millions of young people is at stake,” he warned.

In a related development, Union Minister Jitendra Singh is set to introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, next Monday. The draft proposes fast‑track courts and tighter timelines for investigations, aiming to plug loopholes that allowed the recent paper leak.

All eyes now turn to how quickly these proposals can be turned into law, and whether the wave of youth‑led activism will translate into lasting policy change.