Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down on Saturday (July 25) following weeks of nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), with students demanding his resignation over the NEET paper leak row. Several celebrities, including Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Kamal Haasan, Zoya Akhtar, Prakash Raj, Vijay Varma and others, took to social media to react to the development.
Priyanka Chopra to Alia Bhatt, celebs react to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation
Priyanka Chopra reshared the news of Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation on her Instagram Story. Instead of writing a message, she expressed her reaction with clapping, smiling and heart emojis. Take a look below:
South superstar Kamal Haasan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Glad to see dialogue replacing confrontation. Dissent deserves dialogue. This is democracy in action. Pellet guns, electric shock batons and nail-studded lathis have no place in the land of Bapu. Equally, attacks on security personnel and public property must be examined fairly. Accountability cannot be selective.”
He further added, “This moment and oppurtunity is bigger than paper leaks. I urge a National Commission on Education and Examination Reform, with a three-month roadmap to restore trust in examinations, reduce academic stress and modernise education, one that also hears Tamil Nadu’s voice, where young Anitha’s death first showed the human cost of a single high-stakes test. The Government’s willingness to engage is welcome. Now let us ensure that dialogue leads to lasting reform. The road ahead is long, but Indians must walk it together (sic).”
Prakash Raj wrote, “Congratulations my Dear Cockroaches.. Dear Sonam wangchuk sir and every single one who stood by the youth. You Have proved that you can bring a regime down to its knees (sic).”
Alia Bhatt took to her Instagram Story and simply wrote, “Gen Z showed up! The rest is history (sic).” She used a picture of clouds as the background and added the song ‘Fly’ to the Story.
Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar also reacted to the development by praising Gen Z in her Instagram Story. She shared a note that read, “Democracy is a system of government where power belongs to the people,” and captioned it, “What a reminder this has been Gen Z – Only (heart emoji) – Only.”
Bhumi Pednekar also expressed solidarity with the students and citizens impacted by the issue, writing, “May this only make our India stronger and fairer. Today is a monumental moment for our democracy. Citizens that didn’t give up and leadership that listened. The youth spoke, their conviction, their courage, and their belief in the power of change was inspiring. There was so much said on that stage but only the voice of what the students rightly wanted echoed through. To me, accountability is about delivering real, solution-driven change. Identifying the cracks and filling them. True reform, that actually impacts the future discourse of our students. That is the hope I carry for what comes next. I think for every Indian, whether you are in public office or are an ordinary citizen, the nation, its prosperity, its people and its security should always come first. Jai Hind.”
Stand-up comedian Samay Raina and Vir Das have also reacted to the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
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