Dharmendra Pradhan: Why One Minister’s Resignation Has Become a Test of the Entire Government’s Credibility – 4

# Prem Sagar Poudel

The demand for the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should not be understood merely as an accusation of personal failure.

It represents a wider struggle over the meaning of ministerial responsibility in India.

Pradhan is an experienced politician. He has served continuously in the Union Council of Ministers since 2014 and has held major portfolios including petroleum and natural gas, steel, skill development and education.

His political base lies in Odisha, and he is a well-established figure within the organisational structure of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Because of that experience, expectations of him are also high.

The protesters argue that when repeated crises undermine the examination system, a minister cannot escape responsibility by blaming only lower-ranking officials or criminal networks.

For them, resignation would not necessarily amount to an admission of criminal guilt. It would represent political accountability.

The government’s argument is different.

Pradhan has stated that the government is prepared to discuss the matter in Parliament, punish those responsible and reform the examination system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described paper leaks as serious crimes against the future of young people and has promised firm action.

According to the government, the reform process is already underway, and the demand for resignation is therefore more political than corrective.

Both sides possess arguments that deserve consideration.

If ministers were removed for every administrative failure, governance could become unstable. Yet when millions of students are affected, examinations are cancelled, previous reforms fail to deliver and institutional weaknesses repeatedly reappear, democratic norms require political leadership to accept responsibility.

Removing Pradhan could produce three immediate benefits for the government.

First, it could offer protesters a symbolic victory and reduce tensions. Second, it could demonstrate a fresh beginning under new leadership. Third, it could allow the prime minister to claim that his government does not compromise on accountability.

There are also political risks.

If the government appears to surrender under street pressure, other movements may also make ministerial resignation their first demand. Removing Pradhan would not itself solve the structural causes of paper leaks.

If the same problems re-emerged, the movement could return even more forcefully. Within the BJP, some leaders might also object to the idea that street mobilisation can determine ministerial appointments.

Keeping Pradhan in office may convey firmness and continuity. But it could deepen the perception among students and the urban middle class that the government is insensitive.

After the images of police action, the issue is no longer viewed only as an administrative failure. It has become a question of moral responsibility.

Pradhan’s most effective strategy would not be to focus solely on attacking the opposition.

He should present a comprehensive reform programme including an independent examination-security commission, a time-bound public report, compensation for affected students, refunds of examination fees, mental-health support and structural reform of the National Testing Agency.

The responsibilities of the agency’s chairperson, director general, printing contractors, examination supply chains, digital-question systems and state police forces must be clearly defined.

The main objective should not merely be to punish people after a leak, but to construct a system in which leaks become extremely difficult.

Pradhan may survive politically. However, if public confidence is not restored, his continuation could inflict long-term damage on the government.

The question is no longer simply whether he resigns. The deeper question is whether ministerial office in India is treated primarily as an entitlement or as a form of public responsibility.

About the Author: Prem Sagar Poudel is a senior journalist and international relations analyst from Nepal. He has conducted in-depth studies on Nepal-China relations, the geopolitics of the Himalayan region, and Asian security issues.