India news: Home minister backs Pradhan after resignation
Deutsche Welle · LC · trust 61/100
Hours after India's education minister resigned amid youth protests, India's home minister spoke out in his defense. Meanwhile, Cockroach party's leader thanked 'cockroaches' across India. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HlzD Amit Shah is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Praty and PM Modi's right-hand man Image: Hindustan Times/IMAGO Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Indian Home Minister Amit Shah says youth and students more important for BJP than any post India has a new education minister in Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Pralhad Joshi Cockroach Janta Party's founder says party has 'a long way to go' Here are the biggest headlines from India on Sunday, July 26:
Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add us as a Preferred Source on Google. Then tap the "Star" or "Preferred" to keep DW News at the top of your feed.
07/26/2026 July 26, 2026 Scenes from the protest site, late last night At about 8:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, the Cockroach protest site at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi was dwelling in residual euphoria.
Hours earlier, the education minister had resigned and soon after the protest had been concluded. The instant celebration had been loud. Now, many had left, some remained and others walked in.
For some working youths, who had been banking on the weekend to show their support, the news of Pradhan's resignation came a little too early. Robbed of their chance to be a part of the movement, they had decided to witness the last of the celebrations.
At one end of the site, volunteers dismantled the stage where activist Sonam Wangchuk had been on hunger strike for over 20 days. It was the same stage where students sat in protest when Wangchuk had been removed without his consent, where CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke broke down in tears and where he first heard word on Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
A few meters away, people formed little circles around those who still danced in celebration. On the sides, protesters with witty placards proudly posed for those taking pictures, showing their creativity once more before putting it away.
Beyond the barricades, some congratulated strangers with water, words or hugs. Others leaned over ice cream carts which had finally made their way in.
And about two hundred volunteers still worked tirelessly, either to control the celebrating crowd, to show people the way out or to sweep the roads. Once in a while their eyes met, and a smile broke out on their faces.
07/26/2026 July 26, 2026 "Cockroach Janta Party has a long way to go," says Dipke A day after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) ended its 36-day protest in central Delhi, founder Abhijeet Dipke said he finally slept a full night's sleep without worry and panic.
The protest was concluded on Saturday evening after a round of talks between the government and CJP spokespersons. At this time, the government had accepted all of the party's core demands including education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over exam paper leaks.
"What I went through in the last 37 days was really, really difficult. It was not easy, not just for me, but for all of our team," Dipke said.
The youth leader was recently diagnosed with typhoid, over a month after he camped at the historical protest site of Jantar Mantar with other "cockroaches," in the middle of India's monsoon season.
Dipke thanked protesters across the nation for making the movement a success. He also thanked his critics who questioned the satirical party's abilities and methods. The 30-year-old said the critics had helped the CJP improve.
"Cockroach Janata Party has a long way to go, and for sure we will go a long way. This is just the beginning. Jai Hind," he said.
07/26/2026 July 26, 2026 WATCH: Education minister concedes to 'Cockroach' demands, resigns India's Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned after nationwide youth-led protests over alleged irregularities in major exams.
Demonstrators organised by the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanded education reforms, compensation for affected students and the withdrawal of cases against protesters.
After renewed talks, the government accepted the group’s demands, prompting CJP to end the demonstrations. The protests have been one of the most significant challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration since the 2021 farm protests.
Education minister concedes to 'Cockroach' demands, resigns To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
07/26/2026 July 26, 2026 Pradhan's 'tenure is a testament to his dedication' says Home Minister Amit Shah India's Home Minister Amit Shah defended fellow party leader Dharmendra Pradhan in a social media post hours after he resigned as India's education minister, giving in to nationwide youth led protests.
"For BJP workers, the country, our youth, and students are far more important than any position. Today, the resignation of Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan ji from his post exemplifies this very principle," Shah said on X.
"The Modi government respects the sentiments of the country's youth and is committed to implementing the necessary reforms against paper leaks," he said adding that the government's upcoming legislature to strengthen anti-paper leak laws would help ensure "complete justice."
Shah went on to count Pradhan's "reforms" as education minister. "His efforts toward making the examination system more inclusive and student-centric have also been noteworthy. His tenure is a testament to his dedication to the resolve of making India a developed nation," he said.
Shah's post was one among many from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leaders which highlighted similar intiatives and Pradhan's "integrity."
In his resignation announcement on Saturday, Pradhan said he had acknowledged responsibility of the medical entrance exam's paper leak from the very first…
Read the original at Deutsche Welle →
Open in TruthVane →