CM Revanth Reddy Terms Dharmendra Pradhan's Resignation a Defeat for Modi Government

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday termed the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG question paper leak controversy as a major political setback for the Narendra Modi-led Central Government, saying the episode demonstrated that united protests by farmers and youth could force any government to bow before public opinion.

Speaking to a news agency, Revanth Reddy accused the Modi government of frequently attempting to suppress issues raised by the Opposition by using central investigative agencies such as the CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Income Tax Department. He also alleged that the BJP had sought to weaken Opposition parties in states including West Bengal, Delhi, and Maharashtra through political maneuvering. However, he claimed that the nationwide agitation by students and young people over the examination leak issue, from the streets to Parliament, ultimately compelled the Centre to act.

The Chief Minister stressed that comprehensive reforms in India's examination system were urgently needed. He called for an extensive debate in Parliament involving Opposition parties and education experts before introducing stronger legal safeguards. He said strict action must be taken against those responsible for irregularities in public examinations, emphasizing that the future of millions of students should never be compromised.

Revanth Reddy also sought reducing the minimum age for contesting Assembly and Parliament elections from 25 years to 21 years. He argued that if individuals are eligible to become IAS officers and contest local body elections at 21, the same age criterion should apply to legislators. He announced that the Telangana Legislative Assembly would pass a special resolution on the issue during its August session and forward it to the Centre.

On the issues of delimitation and the proposed Women's Reservation legislation, the Chief Minister said he would comment only after the proposals were formally placed before the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) and the relevant documents were made available. He noted that the proposed constitutional amendment aimed at increasing the Lok Sabha strength from 543 to 850 seats, carrying out delimitation based on the 2011 Census, and implementing reservations under the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, had failed to secure the required two-thirds majority during the special Parliament session on April 17, 2026, receiving 298 votes against the required 352.

Meanwhile, Dharmendra Pradhan submitted his resignation to the Prime Minister on Saturday amid sustained student protests. The agitation at Jantar Mantar, led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), was withdrawn after the Centre agreed to examine its five key demands. Union Minister J.P. Nadda said no criminal cases would be registered against protesters and that compensation would be provided to affected families as per the rules.