Sought PM's permission to accept demands: Dharmendra Pradhan
What's the story
Former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said he sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's permission to accept the demands of protesters who recently demonstrated at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. The protesters were led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). According to Pradhan, PM Modi agreed and even interacted with the youth involved in the protests.
Resignation reason
It was never a matter of personal prestige: Pradhan
Pradhan had resigned as Education Minister after massive student protests. He clarified that it was never a matter of personal prestige for him.
"The incidents that took place recently show that some people tried to mislead the Gen Z or the new generation of youths," he said at an event in Sambalpur, Odisha.
Youth responsibility
Responsibility of India's youth in making country 'Vishwaguru'
Pradhan also spoke about the responsibility of India's youth in making the country a "Vishwaguru."
He said there will be nearly 20 crore young people in the 15-25 age group over the next decade.
"They carry the responsibility of making India a 'Vishwaguru' and ensuring global welfare," he added.
Heritage values
Values I inherited from my homeland, says Pradhan
Pradhan also emphasized the values he has inherited from his homeland.
"I come from a land where many eminent personalities have made great sacrifices, and I have inherited those values," he said.
He said being Education Minister is nothing compared to those responsibilities.
"Fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the younger generation is part of the values upheld by the great personalities from this land," he added.
Protest details
NEET exam row
On Friday, the Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) IT Cell shared a video on X showing protesters at Bhubaneswar's Biju Patnaik International Airport asking him to "go back."
The protesters accused Pradhan of being responsible for the deaths of 22 students, allegedly by suicides linked to irregularities in conducting the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) examination.