Proud of you: Shashi Tharoor hails student protesters after Union Education Minister steps down

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor praised Gen Z students for forcing Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation through persistent protests. Tharoor called it a victory for democracy while emphasizing that comprehensive examination reforms and accountability are still urgently needed

New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Saturday that he was “proud” of the Gen Z for their efforts towards ensuring the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister, following weeks of massive student protests over exam irregularities.

In a self-made video posted on his official X account, Tharoor addressed the viewers as “young Indians and those young at heart”, saying that the resignation of the Education Minister is an “important moment” and “reminds us something fundamental about democracy”. “When citizens raise their voices peacefully and persistently, governments cannot remain indifferent. Today, it is not about him, it is a whole generation of young Indians, and Gen Z… I am so proud of you,” he said.

---

Praising the youngsters, the Congress MP said: “You took your frustration and turned it into action. You took your anger and challenged it with courage, creativity and conviction. You refused to be silenced and you reminded the country that democracy belongs to not only those who govern but also to those who hold governments accountable.”

Advising the youths, Tharoor said: “Keep making the themes, keep being edgy, keep asking uncomfortable questions, keep calling out hypocrisy, but above all keep showing up.”

However, he admitted that one resignation “cannot ease the anxiety, uncertainty and hardships that millions of young Indians have endured”. “It (Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation) cannot by itself restore faith in our examination system. That requires transparent investigations, accountability for those responsible, and reforms that ensure that no student ever has to endure this again,” he added.

The Congress MP also told the students: “Your voices mattered, your courage mattered; you have strengthened our democracy. Keep clocking it Gen Z, keep believing that your voice can change India. Today you have proved that it can.”

He also said this is “only the beginning of reform”. In another post on X, Shashi Tharoor added that the resignation of the Education Minister is an “acknowledgment that accountability in a democracy cannot be indefinitely evaded”. “It comes after weeks of determined, peaceful voices raised by students, parents and citizens across the country who refused to be ignored. It also comes after far too many young Indians faced unnecessary police brutality and force for exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest. That should concern every citizen, regardless of political affiliation,” he mentioned.

Meanwhile, the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which spearheaded the student agitation, on Saturday called off Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest after a third round of talks with the Centre.