New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the Union Cabinet on Saturday amid mounting protests over the alleged NEET paper leak controversy, following weeks of nationwide demonstrations demanding accountability for alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.

The resignation comes after sustained protests by students, parents and civil society groups across the country, with opposition parties and student organisations intensifying their demand for the minister's removal.

Reacting to the development, congress MP Shashi Tharoor welcomed the resignation but asserted that it should mark only the beginning of broader reforms in the education system.

“The resignation of the Education Minister is an acknowledgment that accountability in a democracy cannot be indefinitely evaded. It comes after weeks of determined, peaceful voices raised by students, parents and citizens across the country who refused to be ignored. It also comes after far too many young Indians faced unnecessary police brutality and force for exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest. That should concern every citizen, regardless of political affiliation. But accountability does not end with a resignation. The deeper failures that brought us here must now be addressed through transparent reforms, institutional responsibility and a commitment to ensuring that no young Indian’s future is jeopardised again. The students who marched, spoke out and peacefully persisted deserve to know that this is the beginning of reform, not the end of the story.”

The NEET controversy has triggered widespread outrage over the integrity of competitive examinations, with demands for greater transparency, stricter safeguards and accountability from the authorities responsible for conducting the tests.