Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged examination irregularities and attack on protesting students.
Speaking to media in New Delhi after meeting BJD Members of Parliament, the former Odisha Chief Minister described the incident as “very serious and grave”, and said the Union Minister must take moral responsibility for the violence.
Dharmendra should step down in view of the alleged examination irregularities and the attacks on protesting students, he said, adding that several political parties had already demanded the Education Minister’s resignation and that he shared the same view.
Naveen, who is also the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Odisha Assembly, said BJD would continue to pursue the issue and ensure that the voices of the injured students were heard. He said BJD MPs had already visited the injured students in hospital and assured them of all possible assistance.
“A number of young students have been violently attacked and injured,” Naveen said, adding that BJD MPs visited hospitals to meet the injured students and extend assistance.
The BJC chief’s demand comes against the backdrop of large-scale protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in New Delhi, seeking the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination paper leaks.
“I just had a meeting with our BJD MPs on the serious developments unfolding in Delhi. I had delivered a detailed speech on this issue a few days ago, which was widely covered by the national media. As you know, the situation is extremely serious and grave,” Naveen said.
Expressing concern over the fallout of the incident, he said it had triggered widespread outrage, with protests being held not only in Delhi but also in several cities across the country, as well as outside Indian embassies in different international capitals.
Stating that he would return to Bhubaneswar on Wednesday due to prior commitments, Naveen said BJD MPs would continue to raise the issue in Parliament and at every appropriate forum.
On Sunday, the BJD supremo had called for a detailed discussion in Parliament on examination paper leaks, saying the controversy undermined public trust in India’s education system. In a post on X, he had said accountability must be fixed for what he described as a “lapse of trust”.
Naveen also urged the government to hold talks with students protesting alleged irregularities in national-level entrance examinations.
The controversy had shaken confidence in the broader education system and called for concrete reforms to prevent paper leaks, flawed assessments and systemic failures from recurring, he said.
