Former Urida government chief Naveen Patnaik has demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

Former Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik is making an appearance. | Photo credit: ANI

Biju Janata Dal president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid mounting pressure on the Narendra Modi government from opposition parties over the NEET paper leak and examination reforms.

“I was asked whether the Union Education Minister should resign. Many opposition parties have been demanding his resignation. I think he should resign,” Mr. Patnaik said, adopting Mr. Pradhan’s name for the first time since the controversy erupted.

Describing the situation as “very serious” and “very serious”, he said a number of students were violently attacked and injured. The protests were not limited to Delhi but spread to several Indian cities and even outside Indian embassies outside the country, the BJD president pointed out.

After discussing the matter with the party’s Rajya Sabha MPs in New Delhi, the veteran made this statement and asked the BJD MPs to take up the issue in Parliament.

In a lengthy piece in Sunday’s ‘X’, Mr. Patnaik: “A nation that compromises the integrity of its examination system compromises its own future. This grave issue affecting millions of students across the country must be taken up in Parliament as a top priority.”

“India has also made remarkable progress due to the strength of its education system. It has produced generations of brilliant doctors, scientists, engineers, teachers and innovators who have shaped modern India. But today, confidence in that system has been eroded. The damage goes far beyond a failed exam,” he said.

“Politics aside, I urge the government to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the students who have been peacefully protesting for days. They must be given a platform to express their views. A vibrant democracy progresses through dialogue, not silence, and that dialogue is most important when it concerns the youth of the nation,” Patnaik stressed.

Published – 22 Jul 2026 05:00 IST