Victory of democracy: Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation

New Delhi: As Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from the post of Union Education Minister on Saturday, educator, innovator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk congratulated the countrymen, calling it a “victory of democracy”.

Taking to X, Wangchuk said, “IT’S A VICTORY OF DEMOCRACY. Direct democracy… straight from the streets. It’s a victory of peace, patience & perseverance. Congratulations, CJP, Gen Z of the nation, and thank you all citizens for shedding fear and the fear of fear and rising up from every corner of the nation.”

“FROM ACCOUNTABILITY, NOW TO REFORMS,” he added.

Wangchuk had been on a hunger strike for 26 days, demanding strict action against the frequent paper leaks and exam irregularities and resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Earlier on July 23, the activist ended his strike at Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital in the presence of Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh after getting written assurances from the NDA government.

Meanwhile, Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday announced his resignation, saying he was deeply pained by the developments of the past 10 days and wanted to ensure that anti-national forces did not exploit the situation arising from the controversy over examination irregularities.

Submitting his resignation, Pradhan reaffirmed his commitment to youth and education while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for support, framing it as a response to protect exam integrity and students’ future.

This comes amid nationwide protests demanding strict action against the paper leaks and exam irregularities, and Education Minister Pradhan’s resignation citing accountability.

The CJP called it a “win for democracy”. A post on CJP’s official X handle read “Democracy Wins!”. It accompanied a video which showed the protesters celebrating Pradhan’s resignation.

Addressing reporters and the demonstrators soon after Pradhan’s resignation was made public, the outfit’s founder Abhijeet Dipke said: “We have done it!… Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned. What did they say, that ‘resignations don’t happen under this government’…we say that the world does bow down, it just needs the correct people to do so.”

Displaying a banner consisting of pictures of those students who committed suicide in the aftermath of the May 3, 2026 NEET-UG paper leak, the CJP founder said: “This is for them, for all those students who lost their lives due to Dharmendra Pradhan.”

He said that Pradhan’s resignation is “proof that if you people are not afraid, if you people do not bow down to this government, then we can take the resignation of anyone”.

“There’s no need to be afraid. This is democracy, and in order to hold them (the government) accountable, we have to raise our voice. They are in power due to us,” he added.

IANS