India news: Opposition steps up pressure amid 'Cockroach' protests
07/22/2026 July 22, 2026 India's education minister breaks silence as protests press for resignation India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
07/22/2026 July 22, 2026 India's education minister breaks silence as protests press for resignation India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration was committed to addressing the concerns of youth protesters and examination reforms, as he broke his silence amid intensifying calls for his resignation. Protesters have asked Pradhan to step down, angered by a slew of entrance test paper leaks, including those of a major medical school entrance exam called Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The NEET paper leak in May forced over two million students to resit the highly-competitive exam, leading to some young applicants taking their own lives.
"Our Government remains 100% committed to discussing NEET and addressing every genuine concern of our youth on the floor of the House," Pradhan said on X. He criticized opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and his Congress party's Tuesday protest outside Modi's residence, describing it as a "political spectacle," and saying that the government conveyed its readiness for a comprehensive discussion on the students' issues. "The students of India deserve far better than being treated as props in a political campaign. They deserve certainty over chaos, solutions over slogans and responsibility over disruption," Pradhan said, referring to Gandhi's demonstration.
He said that students were owed "answers, reforms and accountability" and the Modi government "remains committed to delivering". The statement is Pradhan's first on the youth protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) that started as a sit-in demonstration at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar on June 20 and quickly snowballed into a protest march on Monday, drawing thousands of protesters into the streets of central Delhi — India's main corridor of political power. Police had denied permission for the march to the Indian parliament but the 'Cockroach' protesters pushed ahead, clashing with police who used tear gas and batons to push them back.
According to official figures, nearly 180 people — including 118 police personnel and 60 protesters — were injured.
The BriefWire