Bollywood celebrities hail Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, back student protests
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Several Bollywood celebrities welcomed the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, describing it as a victory for students protesting irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET paper leak controversy.
Veteran actor Shabana Azmi, who has been among the most vocal supporters of the student movement, said the resignation marked only the beginning of the fight for education reforms. "So proud of our youth. I am truly humbled. Thank you for showing us that our Constitution is our greatest strength."
Calling the resignation the first step towards the students' victory, Azmi said the movement should continue until the education system is overhauled and the protesters' demands are met.
Azmi had joined students at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi earlier this week but was unable to attend a planned protest in Mumbai after being diagnosed with swine flu.
Prakash Raj, who also participated in the Jantar Mantar protests, congratulated the students and activist Sonam Wangchuk, saying they had shown that people could force change through collective action.
Filmmakers Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar also praised the protesters. Vijay Varma posted a humorous message using a popular song lyric, and writer-comedian Varun Grover congratulated students and activists who led the protests.
Vir Das praised the student movement, saying the protesters had achieved a significant victory. Huma Qureshi, Ishaan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar, Abhishek Banerjee, Saba Azad, Swara Bhasker, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Sonakshi Sinha, Twinkle Khanna and filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane also expressed support on social media.
Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday, saying he was "disturbed" by developments over the past 10 days and had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The protests began at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 20 over paper leaks and irregularities in the examination system, including NEET. The demonstrations later spread to several cities, with protesters demanding greater accountability in the education sector and Pradhan's resignation. Earlier this week, police used batons, tear gas and water cannons to disperse students marching towards Parliament, drawing criticism from opposition parties, activists and members of the film industry.