26 July,2026 07:49 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
Students celebrate at Jantar Mantar. Pic/PTI
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday congratulated students over Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation and urged other groups to show courage and stand up, saying it is time to remove the government.
"We hold Amit Shah directly responsible for the violence that has taken place against our students. He authorised the shooting of our students⦠the use of lethal weapons, including pellet guns, against our students⦠This will be a major issue in Parliament," the Leader of Opposition said.
Akhilesh Yadav
"The students are also demanding an apology from the Prime Minister. This protest has happened, and the deeper reason behind it is that India's systems - the job creation system, education system, institutional system, and media system have been destroyed. They have ceased to function effectivelyâ¦. The government should understand that what has happened here is just one step in a much deeper problem," he noted.
Samajwadi Party chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav said, "This is a victory for the youth. It's a victory for the new generation who came forward with their demands. The government had to bow down. The government will have to think very seriously about everything from primary education to higher education. Concrete steps have to be taken to prevent paper leaks."
All 18 Delhi Metro stations in central Delhi, which had remained shut due to security reasons, reopened on Saturday after the CJP withdrew its protest, ending four days of restrictions. Metro authorities said normal entry and exit had resumed.
Student organisations across the political spectrum on Saturday welcomed the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, describing it as a major victory for the nationwide agitation over the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
Vinod Jakhar
However, they asserted that their protests would continue until broader demands concerning accountability and education reforms are addressed. The Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India's (NSUI) National President Vinod Jakhar maintained that while the primary demand seeking accountability through the minister's resignation had been achieved, the movement would continue until all pending demands of students were fulfilled.
NSUI said the agitation was "not about one individual or one resignation" but about restoring transparency, accountability and justice in the education system.
(Left) AISA Prez Neha Bora and (right) LoP Rahul Gandhi. Pic/PTI
The All India Students' Association (AISA) also described the resignation as a "total victory" for the student movement. AISA All India President Neha Bora said, "Our fight is not for one minister's resignation but for the democratisation of education. The National Testing Agency must be scrapped, and the National Education Policy, which deepens exclusion and privatisation, must be withdrawn."
A Bill to amend a two-year-old anti-paper leak law is set for introduction in the Lok Sabha on Monday. According to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, investigations into paper leak cases are to be completed within two months.
The Bill says that individuals involved in paper leaks or unfair means in exams will get jail terms for a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 10 years, and a fine of up to R50 lakh. For organised crimes, the Bill proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of up to R10 crore. All the states and UTs will have fast-track courts, to complete trials.
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