New Delhi (India) August 9: Speaking on the ongoing Gen Z student protests being held in Jharkhand, former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan alleged that they might have been misguided by some or the other entities. Pradhan argued that the student's issues should be dealt with rather than ignored and national interest should rise above party politics. 

Pradhan Defends His Resignation

Pradhan admitted that the ministerial position has never mattered to him and he personally asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for stepping down from the Union Council of Ministers.

“Gen Z is our children. Some people attempted to mislead them. I had no personal issues then. At least two crore children are born in India every year. During the last 10 years, 20 crore children were born. They have aspirations, and they will make India a ‘Vishwa Guru’. The post was not important to me,” Pradhan said.

The former minister's comments came while he was addressing students and faculty members of the GM University in Bhubaneswar precisely two weeks after he resigned following student protests by the Cockroach Janata Party in Delhi at Jantar Mantar for the NEET paper leak.

Pradhan Targets Naveen Patnaik

Pradhan further attacked former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik for which he said that he does not get affected when BJD activists raise anti-Patnaik slogans and ask the Chief Minister "go back".

“I am a farmer’s son. Even if you tell me to go back, I will come back,” Pradhan said.

“I may not be bringing laurels for the state, but I have never disgraced the people by my work. I will never do any work which will tarnish the state’s reputation,” he said.

BJD Hits Back At Pradhan

BJD's Sambalpur district president Rohit Pujari said that Pradhan had already been blamed for mishandling student protests.

“Nobody had defamed Pradhan. His party and government have defamed him by police resorting to lathi-charge, tear gas and atrocities during the peaceful student agitation at Jantar Mantar. Pradhan was facing criticism because of such incidents. I do not understand why he blames Patnaik for the police excesses on agitating students,” Pujari said.

“Why would Patnaik want to defame him? The whole country knows that 21 children died by suicide because of him. Of the 22 lakh students who appeared for the examination, around 21 lakh students must be under depression. Nobody needs to defame him; he has defamed himself,” he added.