‘What’s wrong in replacing him?’: Uddhav seeks education minister Pradhan’s resignation over NEET

3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 13, 2026 04:25 PM IST

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, as he expressed his support for the CJP's protest. (Source: PTI/ANI)

Throwing his party’s weight behind the ongoing nationwide agitation against the NEET paper leak, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, saying he should be replaced by a “capable person”. He also announced his party’s support for the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and appealed to political parties across the spectrum to back the agitation.

“If a person is unable to do the job properly and lakhs of students are suffering because of it, what is wrong in changing that person? If a capable person is appointed in his place, what is the problem?” Uddhav Thackeray asked.

Accusing the Centre of failing students while remaining focused on political battles, Thackeray linked the NEET paper leak to the larger issue of student distress.

“The NEET paper was leaked. After that, students died by suicide. Nobody is paying attention to them. The government has no time. The ruling party is more interested in breaking political parties. But where the country’s future is being destroyed and students are dying by suicide, they have no time to look at it,” Uddhav Thakeray said.

“Parents spend everything they have so their children can study and build a future. Years of effort get destroyed and nobody seems bothered,” he said.

He said, “One paper after another is getting leaked, but nobody seems worried about taking action.”

Thackeray also extended support to the CJP’s ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar, saying the Shiv Sena (UBT) would participate in the agitation whenever required and urging other political parties, including the BJP and the Congress, to support the movement.

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Leaders of Shiv Sena (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray address a press conference in Mumbai on Monday. (Express photo by Akash Patil)

Uddhav Thackeray said, “We support this agitation. Wherever necessary, we will come on to the streets in Maharashtra. I am not asking everyone to come to Delhi. If I am in Mumbai, I will raise my voice in Mumbai. People should stand where they are and raise their voice from there.”

“Rahul Gandhi should go. BJP leaders should also go. This is not a party issue. This concerns students and their future,” he said.

Speaking about activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose hunger strike at Jantar Mantar entered Day 15 on Monday, Thackeray said he had urged Wangchuk not to continue his indefinite fast, saying the country needed voices like his.

“I asked him not to go on a fast unto death because the country needs people like him,” Thackeray said, as he accused the government of ignoring the issue. “His health is worsening day by day. Unfortunately, the government does not seem concerned,” he said.

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Thackeray also praised Abhijit Dipke for returning from the United States to participate in the movement.

“He raised his voice from America and then came back to India for this movement. Today many young people are supporting him on social media,” he said.