Former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Speaks Out on NEET Paper Leak Controversy, Offers Cabinet Berth to Naveen Patnaik

For the first time, former Union Education Minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan spoke openly about the NEET paper leak controversy and the student protests that followed. He said that some people tried to mislead Gen Z during the protests. Pradhan made these remarks while addressing students and teachers at GM University in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. This statement comes just two weeks after he stepped down as Education Minister. He resigned as Education Minister on July 25 amid protests by students at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak controversy. Dharmendra Pradhan said that Gen Z are the children of the country and there was no personal problem with them. He said that about two crore children are born in India every year and about 200 million children have been born in the last 10 years. These youth have their own aspirations and this generation will play an important role in making India a Vishwa Guru. Pradhan said that the ministerial post was not important for him. He also offered Naveen Patnaik a cabinet berth in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.