Youth Didn’t Bend, Government Did: Priyanka Gandhi on Pradhan Resignation

Wayanad (Kerala), Jul 25: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday welcomed the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, saying the government had been “forced to bend” before the youth and students of India. Vadra termed the development a victory for the country’s youth and students, “who did not bend”. “Force was used against them. Pellet guns, water cannons and tear gas were used against them. But the youth and the students did not bend; the government had to bend. It is a victory for the youth and students of India,” she told reporters here, following reports of Pradhan’s resignation. “I was really and truly happy when I heard the news,” she added. She said she became emotional because she had been wondering for the past 10-12 years, “When will we wake up? When will our young people realise what is being done to our country and how it is being destroyed by these people?” “I am so happy today that the young people of India, the students, have fought this battle bravely and have won it,” Vadra said with a smile. She said the country’s students had begun taking matters into their own hands and had proved that “if you stand up for what is right, every right-thinking Indian, everyone who believes in the Constitution, everyone who respects the freedom struggle, will stand by you”. The Congress MP said the students had also shown that if one stood against all odds in the way Mahatma Gandhi did—”non-violently, truthfully, with courage in your hearts”—they would prevail, no matter who they were up against. She complimented all those who stood by the students’ movement led by her brother Rahul Gandhi, the Congress and its youth wing in support of those protesting against alleged irregularities in various examinations, including NEET. Vadra posted on X: “The youth of India have started to take our country back from those who tried to suppress their voice… Today is the day an undemocratic and oppressive government was forced to bend to the will of the people of India.” “To all you boys and girls who stand unflinchingly for what is right, don’t ever let your spirit be oppressed. You are the soul of our beautiful nation. Stay strong and brave always,” she added. Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister over the NEET paper leak row, saying it was not a matter of “individual prestige” for him.