'Some tried to misled new generation': Dharmendra Pradhan breaks silence on resignation, calls himself 'victim of Gen Z'

Breaking his silence two weeks after his resignation, former Union education minister and Sambalpur BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan said that Gen Z was misled during the protests over the NEET paper leak controversy that eventually led to his resignation. He added that he had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to acknowledge and address the concerns of the protesters. He said that he did not ket his personal honour to come in front of the desires of Gen Z. Pradhan's statement comes amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's attempts to engage with Gen Z, which has emerged as a major political force igniting protests across India, specially in matters of education.

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What Dharmendra Pradhan said?

Speaking at a felicitation ceremony for Padma awardees in Sambalpur, Pradhan said that he had met PM Modi and sought his permission to acknowledge the aspirations of the younger generation rather than allow their grievances to be exploited for political ends. He also called himself the victim of Gen Z, while adding that he never made the incident a personal battle.

Referring to the student protest in New Delhi's Jantar Mantar, he said, “I have been a victim of Gen Z. For some time, the way this whole episode unfolded, I felt some people tried to mislead the children of the new generation,” Pradhan said. “I met the Prime Minister and requested him to agree to the desire of Gen Z. I told him to allow me to acknowledge this in front of the children. I never staked my personal honour in the matter. The Prime Minister accepted this, and later he himself spoke about it in front of the children,” he said.“

Further, he stated that India’s young population would be crucial to the country’s ambition of becoming a global power. “Every year, around two crore children are born in India. If we look at those between the ages of 15 and 25, within a period of 10 years, there will be 20 crore children of the new generation on whose shoulders India will become a global leader,” Pradhan said.

Reaction on Pradhan's statement

Reacting to Pradhan's speech, BJD’s Sambalpur district president and former minister Rohit Pujari said that the BJP leader had been criticised over the handling of the student protests. “Nobody had defamed Pradhan. His party and government have defamed him by police resorting to lathi-charge, tear gas and atrocities during the peaceful student agitation at Jantar Mantar. Pradhan was facing criticism because of such incidents and ultimately he resigned."

What Pradhan said in his resignation letter on Jul 25

In his resignation letter addressed to "my young friends," he said that he is resigning to prevent “anti-national forces from exploiting” the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country. He said that he wants to make sure that “not a single Indian student's future gets entangled in legal complexities.” He also said that his resignation will allow students “to devote their time to studies and focus on building their careers.

Also Read: 'No space for violence': What CJP's Ashutosh Ranka told WION about attack on journalists at Jantar Mantar protest

Despite protest going on since late June, Pradhan reacted only after Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi staged a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence on July 21. He accused Gandhi of “exploiting students” and said that “we owe the students answers, reforms and accountability.” That said, he did not say anything on his resignation calls. He was active on social media even as protest intensified and kept sharing posts about education.