How Gen Z Protests Forced Dharmendra Pradhan’s Resignation

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation marked the culmination of one of India's most significant youth-led protest movements in recent years, with many observers comparing its momentum to the student-led uprisings that reshaped Nepal's politics.

What began with a controversial courtroom remark by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant eventually snowballed into a nationwide movement that united millions of young Indians online and thousands on the streets, forcing the government to concede several demands, including Pradhan's resignation.

The movement traces its origins to May 15, when Chief Justice Surya Kant, while hearing a case on fraudulent professional credentials, remarked that unemployed youth who could not find work often became journalists or activists and "start attacking everyone", comparing them to "cockroaches" and "parasites of society." He later clarified that the comment referred only to people with fake qualifications.