'If Pradhan doesn't resign, PM must resign': How the Centre finally changed course

NEW DELHI: Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as Union Education Minister came after the Centre reversed its initial stand on his removal amid fears that the NEET protest led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) would escalate into a larger political crisis. The week-long agitation led by the CJP at Delhi's Jantar Mantar gathered momentum after several opposition parties extended their support, significantly increasing pressure on the government.

During talks with the CJP, the Centre accepted two of the outfit's three key demands but held back on the demand for Pradhan's resignation. The CJP, however, remained firm that it would not withdraw the protest unless the minister stepped down. Union ministers told CJP leaders they would consult Prime Minister Narendra Modi before taking a final decision.

The standoff took a sharper turn on Friday when CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke warned that the agitation would escalate into a campaign demanding the Prime Minister's resignation if Pradhan remained in office. CJP leaders argued that protecting an "inefficient minister" would inflict greater political damage on the government than accepting his resignation.

Although government representatives maintained that Pradhan's resignation would have been the easiest way to break the deadlock, the Prime Minister was initially unwilling to seek his resignation. As the protest gathered wider political backing and the prospect of an expanded agitation loomed, the Centre reassessed its position.

In the end, the Centre appears to have calculated that conceding the CJP's key demand was politically less damaging than allowing the agitation to escalate further. Pradhan resigned just hours before the scheduled talks with CJP leaders, effectively ending the deadlock that had stalled negotiations.