Pradhan had offered to quit at start of protest, was asked to wait, claims Vijayvargiya

Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister and senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya has claimed that Dharmendra Pradhan had offered to resign as the Union Education Minister at the very beginning of the student agitation over the NEET paper leak, but was asked by the party leadership to wait.

Mr. Vijayvargiya, a former BJP national general secretary, said in Indore on Saturday (July 25, 2026) that party president Nitin Nabin had asked Mr. Pradhan not to resign until a decision was taken on the matter by the party’s top leadership. Mr. Vijayvargiya also claimed that Mr. Pradhan’s resignation “foiled plans of foreign forces that wanted to create unrest” in India. 

Mr. Pradhan, who had been facing the heat over the NEET paper leak and irregularities in various other exams, resigned on Saturday (July 25, 2026) following weeks of student protests in New Delhi and several other parts of the country. His resignation was one of the key demands of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which had been leading the agitation. Mr. Pradhan has been replaced by his colleague in the Union Cabinet Prahlad Joshi.

Mr. Pradhan’s ouster is significant as it goes against the ruling BJP’s long-standing precedent of not removing a Minister under public pressure.

“From the very first day, as soon as the movement started, he told the party president, ‘if you feel it is required, I will resign’. But the party president declined the offer and told him not to resign or even talk to anyone about it until they [the BJP leadership] had discussed and made a decision on it,” Mr. Vijayvargiya told reporters.

“But when the party decided that he should resign, he did so in a second. This is the hallmark of a good worker,” he said. 

Echoing Mr. Pradhan’s resignation letter, Mr. Vijayvargiya said the former Minister had stepped down after considering, among other factors, his wish to prevent “anti-national forces” from exploiting the protests and taking advantage of the situation. 

“Dharmendra ji’s resignation has foiled the designs of those foreign forces that wanted to incite violence and create unrest in the country, like in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. I congratulate him for what he has done,” Mr. Vijayvargiya said.

The Madhya Pradesh Minister also took a dig at the Congress for celebrating Mr. Pradhan’s resignation, alleging that the Opposition had no role in the protests. 

“What role did the Congress play in this agitation? The students launched the protest, and the Congress merely stood behind them. After the West Bengal assembly election, the Opposition became completely demoralised and, in that state of despair, found a ray of hope in the Cockroach Janata Party,” he said, alleging that the Opposition only forwarded the students to get beaten up and it “stayed behind”.

“Did any Congress worker get beaten up with batons? But now they are celebrating,” he added. 

He also praised Mr. Pradhan, saying that the two had known each other since their days in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJP’s student wing. 

“I must praise Dharmendra Pradhan. He does whatever he’s assigned with utmost honesty and dedication,” Mr. Vijayvargiya said.