A paper leak made him leader; another brought him down

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy marks a striking political irony for a leader whose rise in national politics was shaped by a student movement against an examination paper leak nearly three decades ago.

In 1997, during the Congress government led by Janaki Ballabh Patnaik in Odisha, around 1,500 students staged a protest outside the State Secretariat against an examination paper leak. One of the prominent leaders of that agitation was Pradhan, then an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The protest, held just a few kilometres from the Chief Minister's residence, became one of the defining moments of his early political career. Pradhan was reportedly seriously injured in a police crackdown during the agitation.

According to a 2021 report by The New Indian Express, Pradhan entered student politics at the age of 18 through the RSS-affiliated ABVP. He completed a postgraduate degree in Anthropology from Utkal University and served two terms as the organisation's national secretary between 1994 and 1997 before transitioning to the BJP.

Before becoming Education Minister in 2021, Pradhan held key portfolios including Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. He also played a pivotal role in strengthening the BJP's organisational base in Odisha and was instrumental in the party ending the BJD's 24-year rule in the state in 2024.

However, the same issue that first propelled Pradhan into prominence has now brought his tenure as Education Minister to an end. Despite attempts by Pradhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withstand mounting pressure and suppress the agitation, the nationwide student movement ultimately forced the Centre to back down, culminating in the minister's resignation.