The minister writes in a post on X that he has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The developments of the last ten days have made me very sad," Pradhan writes in the post.
"To ensure that the current situation is not exploited by forces that oppose the nation, that the country's unity is preserved, and that no student is drawn into lengthy legal processes, but can instead focus on their studies and their future, I have submitted my resignation to the Prime Minister," he continues.
The news of the minister's resignation has caused thousands of protesters in Delhi to celebrate. "Democracy wins," writes the movement behind the demonstrations, the "People's Party of Cockroaches" on X.
The party now says the protests will end.
"All our demands have been met, so we have asked all protesters to immediately end their protests and return home peacefully," said Ashutosh Ranka, the party's spokesperson, after a meeting with government representatives.
During the demonstrations, the party has demanded the minister's resignation after, among other things, suspected shortcomings in medical education examinations.
The demonstrations in the country have grown into the largest against Prime Minister Modi in years.
The "Cockroach People's Party" was founded in May after an Indian judge once likened young unemployed people who had sought activism to cockroaches.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was founded in May by Abhijeet Dipke in response to a statement by India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant in which he called unemployed, politically active youth “cockroaches.” The name is also a jab at the country’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People’s Party). The words janta and janata are different transliterations of the same word in Hindi.
Within a week, the party had gained over 22 million followers on Instagram.
The CJP is calling for an overhaul of India's education system, with greater accountability for alleged exam leaks. Over 2 million students who took the medical entrance exam in May were forced to retake it after it emerged that the exam had been leaked. Relatives of affected students say they are devastated by the scandal, and more than 20 students have since committed suicide.
The CJP believes that Pradhan should take moral responsibility for the leak and resign.
Source: TT, BBC
