The sudden resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 25, 2026, has sent ripples through Indian politics. As the country digests the news of his departure amid the ongoing NEET-UG controversy, the internet has done what it does best: dug into the archives. An 11-year-old video of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confidently asserting that NDA ministers “do not resign” has resurfaced, sparking widespread debate and drawing sharp comparisons to the current political climate.
The Context: Pradhan’s Resignation Amidst the NEET Row
Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down from the Union Council of Ministers following weeks of intense nationwide protests over alleged paper leaks and irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination. The demonstrations, largely concentrated at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, were spearheaded by various student groups, including the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), and gained significant momentum when climate activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the movement with a 26-day hunger strike.
In a detailed resignation letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pradhan stated that his decision was made to ensure that the country’s youth do not get “trapped in a web of confusion”.
“Considering the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country—to prevent anti-national forces from exploiting it, preserving national unity, ensuring that not a single Indian student’s future gets entangled in legal complexities… I have submitted my resignation.” — Dharmendra Pradhan
The resignation marks a rare moment of concession for the NDA government. In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 12-year tenure at the Centre, Pradhan is only the second Union Cabinet minister to step down under public and political pressure. The first was M.J. Akbar, the former Minister of State for External Affairs, who resigned in October 2018 amid allegations during the #MeToo movement.
The Resurfaced Video: “NDA Ministers Don’t Resign”
Shortly after Pradhan’s resignation was announced, social media users began heavily circulating a video clip of Rajnath Singh from a June 24, 2015 press conference.
The 2015 Controversy: During the summer of 2015, the Modi government was facing intense heat from the Opposition over the Lalit Modi scandal. Opposition parties were demanding the immediate resignations of then-External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, alleging they had helped the fugitive former IPL commissioner obtain travel documents in the United Kingdom.
Addressing the media’s questions about the Opposition’s demands, Rajnath Singh flatly rejected the idea of any resignations.
“Our ministers do not have to resign. This is not their (Congress) government, this is the NDA government.” — Rajnath Singh, June 2015
Why it’s going viral now: Netizens are using the 2015 clip to highlight a shift in the government’s approach. While the NDA historically held a rigid stance against yielding to Opposition demands for ministerial resignations, the sheer scale of the student protests surrounding the NEET-UG exam ultimately forced the government’s hand. For many protesting students and political commentators, the resurfaced video serves as a benchmark to measure the magnitude of the pressure the student movement successfully applied.
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Rajnath Singh’s Present-Day Response
Despite the viral 2015 clip, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was quick to publicly support Pradhan’s exit, framing it not as a political defeat, but as a testament to the government’s democratic responsiveness.
Taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on July 25, 2026, Singh linked the resignation directly to the government’s sensitivity toward the nation’s youth.
- Commitment to Students: Singh emphasized that accepting the resignation proves Prime Minister Modi places student voices at the center of governance.
- Prompt Action: “Taking into account the views and sentiments of our youth and students, Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned from his post,” Singh wrote, assuring students that their concerns regarding paper leaks and educational reforms are being handled with “utmost seriousness”.
- Looking Forward: He urged students to channel their energies back into their studies now that their voices have been heard, stating his confidence that they will make a significant contribution to building a developed India.
The Aftermath
The resignation has effectively defused the immediate standoff at Jantar Mantar, with the CJP announcing the withdrawal of its 37-day agitation “in good faith” after the government accepted its key demands. However, the juxtaposition of Rajnath Singh’s defiant 2015 statement with the government’s capitulation in 2026 continues to fuel political debates online, underscoring how deeply the NEET controversy has shaken the traditional political playbook.