Dharmendra Pradhan submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 25, following weeks of student protests over alleged NEET paper leaks. In a significant development that has captured national attention, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 25, following weeks of intense student protests over alleged NEET paper leaks and examination irregularities. The protests, which have been ongoing at Jantar Mantar in Delhi for almost a month, were spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and gained further momentum when educator and activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the hunger strike that lasted 26 days. The resignation has sparked reactions from across the spectrum, including prominent celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Prakash Raj, and Armaan Malik and many more celebrations from across the nation, who have voiced their support for the protesting students and their demand for accountability in India's education system.Bollywood speaks up as Dharmendra Pradhan resigns from Education Minister post.What celebs are sayingPriyanka Chopra Jonas took to her Instagram on Saturday afternoon to tweet emojis on journalist Faye D'Souza's post about the resignation. She used “applause”, “hey everyone” and “red heart emoji”.Priyanka Chopra via Instagram.Armaan Malik took to social media to say, “Power of the youth.” Prakash Raj, who has been consistently attending the Jantar Mantar protests, wrote, “Congratulations ❤️❤️❤️ my Dear Cockroaches.. Dear Sonam wangchuk sir and every single one who stood by the youth . You Have proved that you can bring a regime down to its knees . 💪💪💪#justasking.”How the resignation unfoldedThe decision comes after nearly a month of student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, where demonstrators, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanded accountability over alleged examination irregularities and called for reforms in India's education system. The movement gained wider attention after educator and activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protest and observed a 26-day hunger strike in support of the students.On July 20, protesters marched from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament but were stopped by security personnel, who used lathi charge and tear gas to disperse the crowd. A few days later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that all those accused in the NEET paper leak case had been arrested and that fast-track courts would be set up to ensure a speedy trial.On July 25, Dharmendra Pradhan took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that he had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.He wrote on X, “The youth power of India is the real strength of this country. We will not let the youth power of the country get trapped in a vicious cycle of illusion; this is my resolve Anti-national forces should not take advantage of the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and in the country, the unity of the country should be maintained, the future of not even a single student of India should get entangled in legal complexities, and our children should spend their time studying and focusing on building their careers. Considering all these things, I have sent my resignation letter to the Honorable Prime Minister.”Monica Yadav is a senior entertainment journalist with Hindustan Times Entertainment, based in Mumbai, with nearly 11 years of experience covering Bollywood, Hollywood and Asian entertainment, including Korean, Chinese and Thai cinema, television and music. She is among the few Indian journalists in India with a dedicated focus on Korean entertainment, including K-pop and K-dramas, and has interviewed some of the industry's biggest stars while closely tracking the rise of global pop culture. Her reporting has also taken her beyond India, where she has covered travel, culture and entertainment. Alongside her work at Hindustan Times, her bylines have appeared in several international publications. Known for her in-depth interviews, feature stories and engaging storytelling, Monica enjoys exploring the human side of entertainment. From breaking news and long-form features to music coverage, explainers and on-camera conversations with artists, she is passionate about telling stories that connect with audiences across the world.Read More