Pradhan’s resignation not enough, struggle must continue until Modi leaves office: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Saturday described the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as a victory for students and youth but asserted that it would not, by itself, resolve the issues facing the country’s education system.

In a post on X, Siddaramaiah said Pradhan’s resignation was the result of the peaceful struggle by students and young people and hailed it as “a victory for democracy and the Constitution.”

“Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is a victory for the country’s conscious students and youth. It is also a victory for democracy and the Constitution,” Siddaramaiah said, congratulating the students who participated in the protests.

He also said the Congress had stood by the students as a responsible Opposition party and praised Rahul Gandhi for leading the campaign on the issue.

Siddaramaiah, however, argued that the resignation of the Education Minister alone would not address the structural problems in the education sector. He alleged that the Centre’s policies had led to the commercialisation of education and claimed that meaningful reforms would not be possible under the present government.

Calling for the continuation of the agitation, Siddaramaiah urged students not to view the minister’s resignation as the end of their movement. He said the struggle should continue until what he described as the “incompetent and corrupt” Central government was voted out of power.

The Congress leader also reiterated that his party would continue to support movements aimed at protecting democracy, the Constitution and public education.