After 'Chalo Sansad' stir, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25, 2026, succumbing to intense nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth movement. The resignation came five days after the CJP's 'Chalo Sansad' march to Parliament on July 20, the opening day of the Monsoon Session, where thousands demanded his removal over repeated leaks of National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) question papers.

In New Delhi, protesters clashed with police, who responded with tear gas and batons. The demonstrations, which began over the medical entrance exam paper leaks, escalated after activist Sonam Wangchuk, on hunger strike since June 28, was forcibly taken to a hospital by police on July 18. Authorities also imposed a mobile internet blackout across Central Delhi, the first such widespread communications shutdown in the capital since the 2021 farmers' agitation, even as crowds gathered at Jantar Mantar.

The CJP has stated that Delhi Police assured the arrest of Swatantra Bharadwaj within 72 hours in connection with an assault incident at Jantar Mantar.

The protests have spread beyond the capital, with youth and opposition groups holding demonstrations in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu, and Ahmedabad.